


4 Little Words

by crimsinsky



Series: 4 Little Words [1]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: F/M, gilmore - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-09-11 07:51:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 43,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8970439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsinsky/pseuds/crimsinsky
Summary: They spoke four words. Two of which changed everything forever. There would always be the before those words and after. No going back. What’s Rory going to do now? Takes place immediately after A Year in the Life. Major spoilers if you haven’t seen the revival.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Not sure of exact rating at this time, there is swearing, eventually some love scenes.
> 
> The revival broke my heart. And as there is no talks yet of more episodes I had to write to mend my feelings. This is way mushier and much longer than I intended. It was supposed to be more with the angst but I changed my mind so here you have it hope you enjoy. 
> 
> I own nothing relating to Gilmore Girls or WB or CW or Netflix except my pain.  
> ******

**November 6 th **

“Mom did you hear me?” Rory wide eyed looked at her mother. Her best friend. Who only looked through her with her mouth agape.

An eternity passed and Lorelai spoke. “I think I’m having a stroke.  Breathing. Oxygen going to the brain. Did you just say-?”

“I’m pregnant.” Rory interrupted.

“Nope that’s what I thought.” Lorelai stood and started pacing not wanting to say something hurtful in a bad situation. “Give me a sec hun. Okay. Okay. Um so who’s the father? Please don’t say it’s the Wookie.”

“It’s not the Wookie.”

“Did you let Paris use you as a surrogate. Don’t tell Luke he doesn’t get how it works and he will be really confused. Let me tell my mother. I want to see her eyes do that Looney Toons thing when her eyes literally pop out of her head that you’re working as a surrogate.”

“Mom.”

“I know I’m calming down.”

“It’s Logan’s.”

“Lorelai stopped pacing. Please please tell me it’s the Wookies.” She took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“But he’s-“

“Engaged. I know. God do I know. I was so stupid so you don’t need to tell me that. We were done. I wasn’t going to be the other woman anymore. I swear mom I was careful but…”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay okay so how are we playing this are you telling people? Do I tell Luke? I mean I have to tell Luke but when do I tell Luke? And-“

Rory started tearing up. Lorelai sat back down and held her. “It’s okay kid. You got me and hey if I could do it when I was stupid and sixteen you can do it-“

“When I’m stupid and thirty-two.”

“When I was your age you were in Chilton. At least that’s one bar in the plus column.”

Rory wiped her eyes. “We gotta get you ready. I’ll be fine I promise.”

“Well I won’t be. Here I’m supposed to be the blushing bride and now you’ve told me I’m going to be a grandma. Way to knock the wind out of my sails.”

****

The wedding was beautiful and went off without a hitch. Kirk even earned a well-deserved compliment of the square from Emily Gilmore herself.  Lorelai announced to one and all that Kiefer Southerland, David from Lost Boys, was at her wedding. Luke spent the better part of the reception trying to keep his new wife away from Kiefer Southerland. 

As the meal concluded Lane asked to make a speech, Lorelai put her head down on the table. “You knew this was coming lady. Hi everyone. I know there weren’t supposed to be speeches but I think I’m owed.

“Please no.” Lorelai groaned.

So most of you were at my own wedding and remember Lorelai giving the weirdest speech thanks to some help from Mr. Jose Cuervo.”

 “And while I’m not quite there yet, I would like to say Lorelai was my second mom. She’d let me eat the junk food my mom wouldn’t let me, listen to the music and hide the clothes I couldn’t have at home. She let me hide our band equipment in her garage and practice there. She was one of the biggest influences in my life. If I’m half the mom and woman she is then I consider myself to be very blessed.”

“And Luke gave me a job when I was a dumb kid with no skills and was a staple in my life in some very crazy times. I want to wish you both the best and let everyone here know I have seen this woman dancing in hair curlers and a sliding across the floor like Tom Cruise and slip and crash into the sofa and sprain her wrist. And we had to help her get pants on before we could take her to Babette to drive her to the doctor.”

Lorelai turned red “The floor was warped.”

“Hey karma is a bitch.” Lane said.

At that Karma Chameleon came on and a smattering of girls ran out on the dance floor.

Over the music you could hear Luke and Lorelai have their first married couple bickering match. “Did you change my song?”

“Who can dance to Steely Dan?”

When the girls finished their routine Luke and Lorelai had their first dance to Reflecting Light. The first song they’d ever danced to. The dance that started it all.

There was more dancing and Rory mingled and visited with Lane.

When Jess finally worked up the nerve to talk to her he was a mess inside.

“Hey Gilmore care to dance?”

“You can dance Mariano?”

“I just put my feet in the air and move them around. He held out his hand and she took it.”

“Well come on Fred.”

“As you wish Ginger.”

Rory didn’t talk while they danced. Despite the years apart they were usually at ease in each other’s company.

“What’s on your mind?” Jess asked.

“Nothing.” There was a look in her eyes that bothered him.

“Come on Rory I’ve known you long enough to know when something’s bothering you.”

“I have to tell you something. I probably shouldn’t. But I need to talk to someone.”

“Bad?”

“Maybe.”

“Let’s go.”

“Not now. I want to be here when they leave. After.” Jess nodded and they finished their dance.

The dancing went on and the happy couple went around hugging their loved ones and took off.

After Rory said goodbye to a few people Jess took her hand and led her away.

“Where are we going?”

“Just come on.” He said as they crossed the square.

“We’re going to Lukes?”

“What do you expect it’s one am in Stars Hallow? The Secret Bar is closed because Taylor’s at the wedding.”

It was dark inside Luke’s. He didn’t turn on the lights. Rory knew where they were but liked the idea of not having to see the look on his face.

“Give me five.” Jess took off his jacket and went to the kitchen coming back with plates and a box.

“You brought me here for pie?”

“If you don’t want it I can take it back.”

“Let’s not be hasty. What kind of pie?”

“Does it matter?” He teased.

“Nope.”

 Jess cut two slices and handed her a plate.

“So spill what’s the problem?”

“Never mind it’s nothing really.” She tried to brush it off.

_“Nothing_ with Rory Gilmore is not nothing.”

She began to cry, really cry like she’d been trying not to since she found out. Jess moved closer and held her in his arms as she fell apart.

When she calmed down enough she spoke. “I was so incredibly stupid. I was seeing Logan again and he’s engaged and he’s not going to leave her so I ended it months ago.”

Jess locked his gaze on the pie box, he could feel it coming. “So the problem is I’m pregnant. I have no job, and I’m pregnant with a guy I’m not dating who’s engaged to someone else. So come on tell me I was stupid and irresponsible.”

It was a knife in his heart. It was always some other guy.

Jess didn’t know how he managed to steady his voice. “Rory I’m not your judge, I’m your friend. Whatever you need I’m here. I mean it.”

“Thanks.” She wiped her face with napkins sure she had makeup smeared everywhere.

“Hey where are you staying tonight?”

 “I- I didn’t think about it. Lane’s up still I’ll crash with her.”

“Brian’s probably there.”

“Oh well I can sleep on the couch. Traveling journalist I’ve been worse.”

“Stay here tonight if you want. There’s an extra bed. God knows it’s quiet, or not there’s a tv. I guess that was your mom’s doing.”

“I mean that would actually be good. Since I’m living with a couple of honeymooners, I really don’t want to go home.”

They went up to the apartment both with a lot on their minds. Rory went into April’s old room, previously Jess’s old room.

“Hey Jess?”

“Yeah.” She’d never heard him speak so softly before.

“Um so April cleared out all her clothes so I was wondering if there was something I could put on?”

“Got you covered.” He was already rummaging through his suitcase he pulled out a pair of sweats and a tshirt and a hoodie. “In case you get cold. Feel free to take a shower.”

“Thanks for everything.”

“Anytime.”

As soon as Rory disappeared Jess sat with his head in his hands trying to figure out what the hell he was feeling. He knew he was pissed. Pissed at Rory for letting it happen. Pissed at Logan for being a dick. At himself for not trying to win her back again. Pissed that is wasn’t his kid.

He’d be happier if it was any other persons. Even Dean’s there was that stupid first love bond they’d always had. He didn’t like it but he understood it. Because Rory was _his_ first love. His only love.

But Logan?

He always hated Logan. Logan was what caused her to go off the deep end years before. She left school, got arrested, stopped her freakishly close friendship with her mom. Yeah Logan didn’t cause all of that but he wasn’t helping her get her head straight. He heard the shower door click shut and the water was off. He walked over to the bookcase and pretended to look at the shelves.

 Rory slipped into April’s bedroom and just sat on the bed thinking. What the hell am I going to do? I have no house or apartment, no real job to pay for it, no boyfriend, and a baby on the way. She knew her mom wasn’t happy despite being understanding. Hell she wasn’t happy about it any of it. She sat there for a while when Jess knocked on the door. “Come in.”

He’d changed into pajama’s and a black tshirt and no socks. It was somehow a little funny to her that she’d never seen him barefoot before.

“Look you’ve been sitting in here for over an hour. Do you want to talk? Complain? Eat? Watch TV?”

“No but I can’t sit in here.”

Jess pulled some throws out of a trunk Lorelai must have bought and covered them both up on opposite ends of the couch.

“So how’s Philly?” Rory asked.

“Can’t complain. The stores doing well. I don’t have to go in that much now that it’s got a following.”

“Who’d have thought that bad boy from New York would become a red blooded mogul.”

“Speaking of which, when you going to let me read some of those chapters?”

“I can send them to you. I don’t know if it’s safe to go home tomorrow.”

They both made disgusted faces and laughed. It was all a little strained.

“Look Rory we are ignoring a pretty big elephant in the room here and I don’t know what to say to you.”

“Are you calling me an elephant?”

Jess gave her a pained smile. “Neither of us is going to get any sleep not soon anyway so just say whatever.”

“What am I going to do Jess?” She couldn’t look at him. “I have nothing going right and I don’t want it but I can’t… you know.”

He nodded.

“What did your mom say?”

“We didn’t discuss much. She knows about it and who’s it is but that’s about it.”

Jess struggled to keep the conversation going. “Are you going to keep it?”

“Yeah. That’s all I know.”

“The Rory I knew made lists would that help.”

She smiled slightly at her neurotic need to organize and plan. That worked so well. “I guess step one is get a job.”

“What about the New Yorker piece, won’t they give you more assignments?”

“I called and hit up all the papers I’ve worked for. There’s nothing good.”

“Friends in high places, favors you can call in?”

“I’ll have to think on that there might be someone.”

“You could always come to Philly, I think I could get the board to bypass any interview process for _the_ Rory Gilmore.”

“That’s sweet and I may have to take you up on it.”

“It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you want to keep the paper open you can make it biweekly or monthly.” He said. “Con an intern into getting all the stories and town info. And you would have time to work on the book.”

“I’ll think about it.”

He finally asked what he’d been avoiding “What did he say?”

Rory felt small as she confided in Jess. “He doesn’t know. I don’t know if I should even tell him.”

“You should.” He said softly.

“Why? I know you hate him.”

“I do hate him, little more today but I remember how bad it ended up for Luke for a while with April. It wasn’t fair for either of them. It’s different when your dad just skips out than if you lost out because he didn’t know.”

“Yes we know that feeling all too well.” She stated dryly.


	2. Chapter 2

After they’d talked they both fell asleep watching a movie.

Rory woke up with her head tucked under Jess’s and his arm around her. It took a moment to remember all the bad that had befallen her life in such a short time but it all flooded back.

She sighed and resigned herself to letting it wait for now she didn’t want to wake Jess up after how sweet he’d been to her.

It was late so she may as well waste the rest of the day. She shifted a little and Jess tightened his grip on her. She felt safe here. She dozed a little more leaning against him and didn’t wake up until she heard a kettle whistle.

She stretched out and padded into the kitchen.

“That’s a good look Gilmore.” She looked at her body, hands hidden behind too long of sleeves and pants that dragged on the floor.

“It’s just the latest in I have no clothes to wear couture.”

“You want breakfast? I would have made some but I didn’t know if it would make you sick.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I offered when do I offer to do stuff I don’t want to?” He smirked trying to keep everything light.

“How about a sandwich? It’s what?”

“Noon.” He handed her a cup of coffee she sipped it.

“Eww what is this?”

“It’s tea. It’s hot but something you can drink.”

“Well, it’s awful.” She pushed it back to him.

“No it isn’t. I hate to be the one to tell you this but you can’t drink coffee.”

“Oh this keeps getting worse.”

He pushed the cup back at her. “Drink. Rest.” He made two sandwiches and they ate in a more easy silence than the night before.

“Jess I really hate to ask you for anything else.”

“What did I say last night, you need anything just ask.” He had that exasperated look that reminded her of Luke.

“Can I use your laptop, only for half an hour?”

“No problem. It’s in my bag. So are the happy honeymooners leaving anytime soon?”

“Um, I don’t know hey I can always sponge off my mom and live at the inn.”

“You won’t need to live at the Dragonfly.” He didn’t know if he should laugh or not. “Look I’m going to take a shower, laptop is in here. Just don’t take off okay.”

“Promise.”

Taking Jess’s advice, Rory emailed some old colleges from her days following the Obama campaign and made a couple of calls. It’ only took her a few minutes and she was alone in the apartment.

There was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Lane with a bag. “Got your text, I _so_ want details later these should all fit and there are shoes. Gotta run bye.”

Rory took the clothes gratefully but was really confused. She went to turn off the laptop and accidentally hit the icon above shutdown. A folder of photos popped up. She wasn’t going to look until she saw her own face looking back at her.

Curiosity got the better of her so she clicked. It was full of high school photos of the two of them, some of her later then articles thrown in. All of her articles. From Yale to small blurbs she’d gotten published through the years. She didn’t know what to make of it but shut off the computer before she got caught.

Back to the mysterious bag of clothes. She slipped into April’s room and changed but she held onto Jess’s hoodie. It was cold after all and Lane hadn’t brought a jacket.

She and Jess both emerged at the same time. His hair was wet and pushed back sort of like he used to wear it. Old Clash tee shirt and jeans. He was exactly the same and a million ways different.

“Lane was here I see.” He stated.

“Yeah but somehow I don’t recall texting her.” Arching her eyebrow in challenge. 

“Your phone sure did.”

“I’ll have to have a talk with it. Get it-talk with it.”

“Look you can’t walk out of here in my clothes or the whole town will be in an uproar. Plus you’ll trip on the stairs.”

Rory laughed “Did you ever hear about Mom and Luke’s first date?”

“The town meeting? Yes I do believe I heard about that.”

“No before that she ran downstairs in the middle of the breakfast rush in just his shirt and everybody saw.”

“I’m sure that went over well.”

“Oh it did. The gossips had never been given a better gift.”

“Do you want to do anything today? We could just hang out.”

“I need to go home for a few minutes if I can, but that sounds fun.”

She texted her mom.

_Can I come home for a few minutes?_

_It’s safe we put the whips and chains away in the red room._

“I will never get that out of my head. She says it’s clear I’ll head over.”

“Or we can go together if you want.”

Jess followed her down the stairs and as there were no customers they only had to get past Lane.

“It’s slow.” Rory stated the obvious.

“Most of the town’s hung-over from the wedding. Good thing too.” Lane said sarcastically.

“Marriage has made you snippy.”

“It’s the lack of sleep over raising two preteen boys. Details?” She whispered when Rory got close enough.

“No details I just crashed on the spare bed. Here’s your bag back I’ll return the rest later.”

“Whenever.” Lane smiled at Rory who knew she had a lot of explaining to do.

 

****

 

“Mom.”

“In here.” Lorelai sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

“So what is the first wifely duty I should do I mean I could make dinner later but we all know how that will end up- hi Jess. “

“Lorelai.”

Rory hugged her mom “Hey Sadie.”

“It is I. The married lady.”

“Congratulations. It was a nice ceremony.” Jess said avoiding her eyes.

“Thank you Jess. Did you guys eat we’ve got food.”

“No thank you. Where’s Luke I need to ask him something?”

“Oh I tired him out he’s asleep.”

“Eww. God mom-“

“Rory I’ll see you later.”

Lorelai delighted with tormenting the kids laughed, “I’m kidding he’s in the backyard doing something.”

Jess fled outside.

“Can you please stop doing that?” Rory begged.

“Let me think about it hmmmm no.”

“I’m glad you’re happy mom.”

“I am I really am.” She leaned back to check if the coast was clear. “So uh what’s with the buddy buddy routine?“

“Nothing.”

“And the sweater? I know that’s his.”

“I was cold.”

“Uh hun.”

“Mom. Should I tell Luke now?”

“It’s up to you but I think you should. I can give him a prep talk warn him to not get upset.”

“No I’ll do it. I did this so I have to tell him.”

“Wait until Jess leaves and we can break it to him.”

“Jess knows.” Rory picked at the tablecloth.

“You told Jess? Before the father.”

“I wasn’t sure I was going to tell Logan. Jess talked me into it.”

“How?”

“Basically how hurt Luke was and how it messed up a lot more later on than if Anna was honest.”

“Wow. That was from Jess? I’m still confused why did you tell Jess?”

Rory shrugged “Why not we’re friends?”

“Well I mean he was your boyfriend it’s got to be a little –why him- for him. I mean us Gilmore girls are hard to quit.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Rory. Can’t you see-“

The Danes men walked back in then.

“Actually mom you are a Danes now, no more Gilmore.”

“Hmm Lorelai Danes.” She made faces as she thought “Her majesty the lady Lorelai Danes. Acceptable.”

“Well your majesty, are you two going on a honeymoon, someplace warm or exotic?” Rory asked.

“No.” Lorelai said.

“Yes.” Luke said. 

“Yes? What yes. I was not told.” Lorelai was flummoxed.

“I was not told we were getting married until a few weeks ago, so there you go.” Luke replied.

“I have to clear things at the inn.”

“Michele took care of it.” Luke busied himself at the sink.

“What? Married a day and he’s already keeping secrets from me.”

Secrets. Boy did that hit home.

Rory looked to Jess across the room and her mom. “Luke can you sit down?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I don’t know how you’re going to take it and before I say anything I already know all of the bad that comes with it, believe me, I know.” She stopped to hold on to the moment before he didn’t love her anymore. “I’m pregnant.”

“Rory. Wow.” He spoke softly. “I want to say congratulations, but you don’t seem too happy about it.” He looked at Jess who looked sick.

“It’s complicated. It’s Logan’s.” Rory said.

“The rich one?”

“Yeah, him.” Rory felt so small.

“Whatever you need we’re here for you.”

“Thank you Luke.” She hugged him. Somehow she’d been more afraid of telling him than her mom.

“I just really don’t want to talk about it anymore right now. So where are you guys going on your honeymoon?” The flip in attitude was so sudden; it was her fake smile through the problems face. Everyone knew it but pretended they didn’t.


	3. Chapter 3

Rory grabbed some clothes and she and Jess spent the afternoon at the DVD store and they grabbed their old favorites. Then they went to the bookstore.

They had to be quite because Andrew was also hungover from the wedding.

They watched their movies, browsed the other’s book purchases, ate popcorn and fell asleep on the couch again.

Jess left the next morning.

“I hate leaving you like this,” Jess said avoiding Rory's eyes.

Rory watched him pack up most of his things. “There’s nothing you can do, I have to do this for myself.”

“I just feel like I’m running out on you again.” He looked ashamed he knew he left her too many times before when he shouldn’t.

“Jess that was a long time ago. We were kids, you’re not leaving me. Well, you are but not leaving leaving me. Oh forget it.”

“I got it.” Jess smiled. “Luke said you can crash here if you want if the house makes to uncomfortable.” 

Rory laughed at the ridiculousness of her situation. “The house doesn’t make me uncomfortable; my mother is making me uncomfortable.”

“What did she say? Was it about …the baby?” He had avoided the word until now.

“You do not want to know. She keeps saying ….let’s call them innuendos about her new marriage and leave it at that.”

“Thank you for keeping those to yourself. I’ll be back this weekend maybe we can catch lunch if you’re free.”

“That’d be nice.”  As he started to walk out the door she called to him. “Hey Jess.”

He came back “Yeah Ror.”

She walked over and hugged him. “Thank you for everything. I really needed you this week.”

He hugged her back “I-I’m here for you Rory.” He almost said I love you but kept it to himself.

He was certain as soon as Logan found out he’d be here or she’d be there and that was it for him forever. So he held her breathing in the smell of her shampoo and trying to memorize how she felt in his arms.

Slowly she backed away.  “So lunch Saturday.”

“Saturday it is. And hey I’m going to want that hoodie back sometime.”

*******

Luke and Lorelai were getting dressed. “Hey Lorelai are you mad about the baby?”

“My unemployed daughter who lives with her mother is pregnant. Hell yes, I am pissed. She knew what that was like from the kid’s perspective. She tells Jess before the father who is who knows where with someone else.”

“It’s not all bad.” Despite the father, he was secretly glad. They’d missed their chance for kids of their own but a grandchild would be the next best thing.

“Luke.” Lorelai slumped on the bed. “She knew better she was supposed to be better than me.”

“You turned out pretty great.”

“Yeah well you’re biased.” She muttered.

“Yes but that doesn’t make it untrue.”

“Well, clear thinking like that will get you anywhere mister.”

“Just one thing,” Luke paused picking his words carefully. “Why did you make such a big deal about Jess knowing?”

“I did not make a big deal. More like a transaction. A tiny transaction.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Why’d you make a transaction about Jess?”

“Because,” Lorelai sighed, “he’s still in love with her and it is killing him.”

“No, he isn’t I asked him.”

“What can I tell you he lied.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Travel with me to hypothetical land my husband. When you were a teenager you were…?”

“I was a pain in the ass.”

“And Jess was?” She prompted.

“A bigger pain in the ass.”

“Move forward a few years you saw me being cute in my late twenties early thirties with a kid and you didn’t like me?”

“No I thought…Oh my God.” He too slumped onto the bed.

“Exactly.”

“You mean they’re…” Luke couldn’t imagine how he hadn’t seen it.

“Our history on repeat. Yep.”

“Poor kid.”

“Which one?”

“I don’t know. Both.”

******

Rory was defended by the silence of the apartment without Jess. She looked over her to do list and decided to call Paris.

“Make this good.” She snapped.

“Sorry is this a bad time?”

“Rory, sorry I thought you were this ass hat lawyer who’s been haggling me on the price. Save me from this idiots.”

“Well, I have some news. I’m pregnant.”

“Oh my god.” Paris nearly whined “Is it Doyle’s? You were having an affair with him. You were my best friend HOW COULD YOU?”

“We were not having an affair. Paris I called because I need a doctor.”

“I can be there in two hours.”

“I really meant to ask for a recommendation around here. No offense I mean obviously you’re the best but I don’t-“

“Want your best friend in your lady junk.”

“Yes Paris.” Rory knew Paris had skipped out of the tact classes offered in medical school, but she still surprised her on occasion.

“I’ll check my contacts in that area and get you the least stupid one I can find. It’s not going to be easy out in Green Acres but I’ll do my best.”

“Thanks Pairs. You’re the best.”

“I’m well aware.” They hung up.

“One down. A million to go.”

*****

As a rule, Jess didn’t drink much. A few too many bad nights in his early twenties taught him excessive alcohol was not his friend.

Despite that, tonight he was drunk and he intended to get even drunker.

He came to forget but his focus was on the baby and how he’d lost Rory forever.  Each glass did nothing to dim the look on her face as she sobbed in his arms. It didn’t change the words.

He ignored the pretty women who tried to get his attention. At four in the morning Matt managed to get Jess into his car and drove him home. Jess slept for a few hours and puked up everything from the night before.

Splashing water on his face did nothing to help.

Nothing would.

He caught a look at his face in the mirror. It took everything in him not to smash the mirror with his fist. Instead, he went back to bed.

He didn’t sleep. He was sometimes less conscious and more conscious but never relaxed enough to forget about any of it. He took a shower. He could smell the booze coming off of him. He checked the clock. He’d spent the entire day hung-over and in bed. He went back to it.

He had one single clear moment of thought. If I’m this messed up over it, how is Rory?

Alcohol always made him do stupid things. Tonight was no exception.


	4. Chapter 4

Rory spent two days alone in Luke’s apartment finally going home the second night. She needed her mom. They laid on Lorelai’s bed together staring at the ceiling.

“Mom, how bad was it alone?”

“I was sixteen with no job and no experience. I was a runaway with a newborn. It was pretty bad at times, but honey I think you can handle it. You just need to get some things together.”

“I’m working on it. I asked a few favors see if something concrete shows up.” Rory almost didn’t ask her next question. “Are you mad?”

“Am I mad? That is a question. Honey I wish you weren’t in this situation. I know you didn’t get here on your own but I wish you’d been more careful.”

Lorelai sat up “I’m scared for you. I love you you know I do, but would I have been happier to not be single and pregnant you bet. I wouldn’t wish that for you." Seeing the hurt on her daughter's face she added "Getting pregnant was a mistake for me but _you_ were not a mistake. Do you understand?”

“Do I ever. I still feel like it is a mistake.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I have no idea.”

“We need to get you to a doctor.”

“I’m working on that too.” Rory fought back tears “Mom what am I going to do?”

“You’ll get through it kid.”

“I’m going to call dad. Might as well get all the Rory sucks at life feelings out at once.”

She descended the stairs to her room and dialed her father. “Hey dad It’s me can you call me back when you can? Love you. Bye.”

She felt alone. She couldn’t talk anymore because she would have to tell her secret and it was too hard right now. Mom, Luke, and Jess even Paris were one thing, but she didn’t want everyone else feeling sorry for her.

She picked up Jess’s sweatshirt off the chair and slipped it over her head. It still smelled like him. It was a little early to go to bed but that’s what she was going to do.

The phone rang. She picked it up without looking.

“Dad.”

“Jess.”

“Sorry Jess. I was waiting for my dad to call me back and I didn’t check the ID. What’s up?”

His voice was hoarse from the drinking and the vomiting. “I just wanted to check on you. How are you?”

“A mess but not more than yesterday or the day before. Are you okay you don’t sound good?”

“I got some bug on my way home.”

“Oh. Well I hope you feel better.” Rory offered lamely.

“I just wanted to tell you it will get better I promise.” You’re an idiot Jess he thought.

“I wish I believed that.”

“I’ll see you in a few days; maybe it will feel better by then.”

“Jess I know I said it before but thank you, you’ve been so great. And I really needed a friend so thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He stopped for a moment. “I feel like I should do something for you.”

“You already are you have no idea.”

“Get some sleep. And don’t forget to get your license renewed.” It was a stupid thing to say and he knew it but his mangled brain only held on to that one thing.

“Good night Jess.” Rory hung up laughing.

Jess was right. It already felt a little less bad.

*****

Friday morning rolled around Jess was at the house with Luke and Lorelai looking for Rory.

Luke sent Lorelai upstairs to pack while they talked.

“So I had a talk with Lorelai?”

“She let you? Wow, marriage has mellowed her.”

“Ha ha,” Luke said dryly.  “She said you lied to me.”

Offended Jess said, “I haven’t said one sarcastic thing to her since I got here for the wedding.”

“She said you’re still in love with Rory.”

Jess avoided eye contact and scowled.

“Got nothing to say?” Luke asked.

“Nope.”

“Aw Jess.”

“Look nothing’s going to happen, because she’s having someone else’s kid.”

“Yes because we all know that a guy that’s not the father can’t possibly raise a kid while the dad is who knows where.”

Jess did not want to have this conversation. “You know what I mean. As soon as Rory tells him he’s going to run back here and I’m out of the picture.”

“Don’t count yourself out.”

“What?”

“I’ve met the guy and he’s not great.”

“Agreed.”

“But he’s got a life set up nicely without Rory. If he wanted to be with her for real he would have been.”

“Things are different now,” Jess said.

“Lorelai moved into town when Rory was about eight, Christopher never once came here to see her until she was in high school. He didn’t have a wife or a fiancée.”

“Luke you’re not getting it, and Rory still saw her dad.”

“Not that much. Lorelai always had to drive her to New York or Boston or wherever to find him.” Luke carefully pointed out a sore subject with Jess “And we all know your dad was stellar in that department.”

Jess didn’t speak.

“A dad is more than DNA. It’s showing up at the god awful school plays you don’t want to be at, buying fundraiser crap because she pouts, and the town functions. It’s showing up and even when you are at your worst and you are terrible at everything else in your life if you just show up you’re doing something right.”

Finally, Jess raised his eyes to look at Luke “I guess you’d know. You raised all of us.”

“Jess I’m not telling you what to do, but if you want her in your life just show up. Just think about it.”

“Way ahead of you.”

********

Rory was at her desk at the gazette. It had been bothering her and she couldn’t do any work until she bit the bullet. It had been a week since she wrote anything. If she didn’t do it now she’d lose her nerve. She took her phone into the microscopic break room and called him.

“Hey, Ace how you doing?”

“That’s a good question. Can we meet?”

“Now’s not really good.”

“Well, this week next week anytime?”

“I can’t not with the wedding.”

“Right. Um, are you alone can we talk?”

“Yeah I’m alone. What’s on your mind?”

“I’m going to come right out and say it. I’m pregnant.” 

When he said nothing she asked, “Are you still there?”

“Rory, is it mine?”

“Of course it’s yours you think I’d call to tell you about someone else’s baby.  Look I’m not asking anything. You and Odette get married. You can be in its life or not I wasn’t even going to tell you so that’s it.”

“This is such bad timing.”

She was angry. “Timing you talk about timing. You think I wanted this?”

“Do you need some money?” There was something in his voice. Close to pity. Rory didn’t like it.

“No, I actually got a great job offer a few weeks ago so I don’t need anything." She lied. 

"I just called to tell you because a friend told me it was the right thing to do. So don’t worry about it.”

“I have to go there’s a staff meeting in ten and I need to get to it.”

“Fine.” She pushed the button to hang up. 

There was something so unsatisfying about not being able to snap a flip phone closed or slam a handle into a receiver. “From now on I use the office phone.”

Jess walked into the Gazette. Charlie was the only one there, asleep as usual.

He heard a noise from the back so he followed it.

“Rory” he knocked.

“Go away.”

He opened the door.

“Jess, what are you doing here?” She wasn’t crying but her face was red with anger.

“I drove up early.”

“I really appreciate everything like you have no idea but I don’t want you around me.”

“Why?” She heard the hurt in his voice.

“Why? How do you not hate me? I hate me right now.”

“Stop no one hates you.” Jess tried to calm her.

“No really. I knew better. I did this before but we were casual I knew he was dating other girls and I didn’t care, but then he got engaged and I should have ended it then. How could I be so stupid?”

“Rory don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I turned into this person that if I met me I’d hate and I don’t know how I got here.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Why?”

“I’m not letting you be miserable in this closet.”

Stubbornly she pointed out “It’s a break room.”

“Well, it’s dark. Can’t you spring for some lamps madam editor?”

“Tried, the workers threatened to revolt.”

“Yeah, Sleepy looks like a rebel rouser.”

They went into Doose’s for a bag of apples and a fruit knife. Then they walked the square. Jess would cut a piece for Rory then himself then toss one on the ground.

“What are you doing?”

“Me? Not doing anything. Just walking.” He said too innocently.

“Littering is a crime you know.” Rory joked.

“Going to report me to the constable?”

Rory only smiled at him “You’re up to something.”

“You’re the reporter investigate.”

After the apples were gone they sat on the gazebo steps. “Don’t think I’m going to let you get away with whatever it is you did,” Rory said.

“If you can’t figure it out then we can just go.”

She leaned back into the gazebo “I don’t have anywhere to be.”

The more she racked her brain the more confused she was and Jess just pretended not to see her. When she heard the familiar scream.

“PETALS COME BACK!!!!”

“Run Petals Run!” Someone yelled from the street.

Petals the pig ran up and down Main Street with Kirk in tow. She’d run to one apple slice stop to grab it and the second Kirk got within a foot of her she ran to another spot.

Back and forth Kirk screamed and chased the pig while the rest of the town stopped what they were doing and laughed. Rory was near tears watching the pair. “You’re so mean, you should help him.”

“Sorry left my cowboy uniform at home.”

“Come on look at poor Kirk he’s not meant for physical exertion.”

“All right.” Jess got off the steps and yelled “Petals” he pulled out an apple he’d hidden. She saw the treat and bound across the street to him.

Kirk panted and gasped for air and reattached the leash to Petals and collapsed on the floor.

Rory asked trying not to laugh. “Kirk do you want us to call Lulu?”

“No….Yes.”

“Okay Kirk,” Rory called and she and Jess played with Petals until Lulu came to get both boyfriend and pig.

They sobered when Lulu left.

“So what upset you so much?” Jess asked.

“I called Logan.”

“Obviously it went well.”

“Should have lied and said it wasn’t his. The way he asked me _is it mine_ hurt.” She bit out.

“He’s probably just freaked.”

“So if it was us after we broke up and I called you saying I was pregnant you’d have asked me that?”

“We were seventeen and if you recall we did not have sex so no I wouldn’t have asked.” He teased.

“Jerk,” Rory said laughing.

“Wow, your hormones are mean already.”

“I need some coffee.”

“Rory he’s an idiot. I’m sure once he’s out of shock he’ll be back for the two of you.”

“Oh, really he wouldn’t leave her before. I mean who’s going to leave a duchess heiress or whatever she is for his broke unemployed ex-girlfriend from nowhere.”

“If that girl was you?” They locked eyes. There was a lot they weren’t saying, and much was said in the silence. The air thickened around them. 

Rory finally broke the silence “I still have that sweater.”

“Keep it.”


	5. Chapter 5

Jess spent part of the week in Stars Hollow just hanging out with Rory while Luke and Lorelai were on their honeymoon in Aspen to see the snow. They’d be back just before Thanksgiving.

When Jess went back to Philadelphia, he’d call or text Rory every day to check on her.

Rory’s phone buzzed.

“Honey, I’m Home.”

“Hey mom.”

“I stopped by the Inn to check with Michele. Would you care to stop by the Dragonfly for lunch with your mother?”

“Sure give me twenty.”

Lorelai's voice was strange. “Okay and uh sweets take the car don’t stop anywhere I really need to talk to you.”

“Wow is that what that sounds like?” Instead of finishing up her work Rory left it all on the coffee table and drove straight to the Dragonfly.

Michele greeted her.

“Rory what a pleasant surprise. Right this way.” He led her to the library with his hand on the small of her back. “I’ll get your mother right away, is there anything I can get for you?”

“Um no thanks.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Pretty sure.”

“All right I’m off. You give a yell if you need anything. Ok.” He left.

Moments later her mom came in and shut the door behind her and locked it.

“Well that’s menacing did you join a cult in Aspen?” Rory said.

“No cult.”

“Well I have to tell you nice Michele is scary.”

Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest and slowly came forward. “Have um, you seen or talked to anyone today, or yesterday?”

“No, I vegged on the couch I was tired.”

“So no phone calls either?” 

“Just you and Jess. Why?”

Lorelai put her hands on Rory’s shoulders and looked in her eyes. “Alright so there’s no easy way to say this, you’re pregnant.”

Rory slowly nodded her head. “Yes. I’m pretty sure I understood that from the pee stick and the doctor telling me, but thanks for the clarification.”

“The town knows.”

“What do you mean the town knows?”

 “Rory the town _knows_.” Lorelai said dramatically.

“Who told them?”

“I don’t know but look at my phone.” Lorelai handed her the phone. “There’s texts and calls from everyone. Andrew, Taylor, Miss Patty, Babette, one from Miss Patty and Babette.”

“Okay so they know.” Rory shrugged it off. She knew it wouldn’t be much longer till someone figured it out.

“Yes and I found out who my grandbaby’s daddy is.”

Rory's eyes lit up at the joke of it all. “Oh who is it? Ryan Gosling, Tom Hiddlston, Prince Harry? I was in London a lot.”

“Jess.”

“What? No.” Rory shook her head it was ridiculous. 

“Oh yes.”

“Stop rhyming.”

“Sorry. Read the texts.”

Rory skimmed.

“Oh no. No no no.”

“Oh yes my love.”

“How could they- Oh no." Rory started pacing. "The wedding. We slept at Luke’s apartment at the diner.”

“With Jess?” Lorelai was stunned.

“Well not with with Jess we both stayed at Luke’s.”

“Oh, sweetie that is just ripe with gossip mongering in this town. In their defense, he has been around more in three weeks than the last three years.”

“I have to call him to give him the heads up stay in here.”

She snuck into her mother’s office down the hall and called Jess.

“Rory you okay?” He sounded panicked. They talked at night, they texted through the day. 

“Yeah I’m fine. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure."

"So I know you’re coming into town this week and I have to warn you about something.”

“What is Miss Patty looking for another husband? I think I aged out.”

“Tell that to Luke, she's always hitting on him." Rory joked but it was forced. "No it’s uh the baby.”

“Is he back to sweep you off to London?” Jess never referred to Logan by his name it was always _Him_ or _He_ , occasionally asshole when he thought Rory couldn’t hear him.

“God no. So I don’t know who found out but the town knows.”

Jess’s easy banter was back “Well it was going to happen eventually.”

Rory blurted out “They think it’s yours.”

“Huh.” She could just imagine the face he was making.

When he was quiet for too long she babbled. 

“Someone knew we slept at Luke's after the wedding, and you’ve been around so much, and put the wrong twos together and there you are. I can try to do damage control if I just tell Babette I’m sure it will be around town before I finish the call.”

“What are you going to say?” Jess asked cautiously.

“That it’s not yours. I can’t really say the baby is Logan’s because I don’t want that getting out.”

He interrupted her “Why say anything?”

“What?” She wasn’t expecting that.

“I mean you can’t say who the dad really is so they won’t believe you.”

“I guess I could say it’s my ex-boyfriend.”

“Look Rory, I don’t care what people say or think. If it doesn’t bother you just don’t say anything.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s no problem. Hey, I have to go into a meeting with one of our distributors, but I can push it back if you need.”

“No if you’re sure. I guess we can just hang out and talk next weekend. Are you still coming up?”

“I said I would. See you-wait they don’t have torches and pitchforks out for me do they?”

Rory laughed. “No Taylor passed a no torches sanction in town after Kirk nearly set the gazebo on fire.”

“Good to know. I’ll see you soon.”

Rory hung up and slowly walked back to the library. Her head was swimming. 

“So how incredibly freaked he is?” Lorelai asked not looking up from her phone that was still blowing up.

“Uh he wasn’t.”

“Who should we call first and what’s the story? I think Miss Patty is our best bet she can cover more ground than Usain Bolt.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t.” Rory was quite.

Lorelai dropped her phone. “What?”

“Um Jess said why bother, he had a point no one is going to believe it’s this other guy that they haven’t seen in ten years and I can’t say who it is anyway.”

“Wait,” Lorelai said. “Jess said let everyone think it’s his?”

“Yeah.”

“Jess is cool with the whole town thinking that your baby is Jess’s baby?”

“Said he didn’t care it was fine.”

Jumping up from her chair Lorelai raised her voice. “Office now.” She pushed her daughter back to the office. Sitting at her desk she pulled out flasky from a drawer and took a swig from the bottle.

“It’s the middle of the day.” Rory scolded.

“Don’t care I needed that.” She took another swig. “Sit.”

When she collected herself a bit she started ranting. 

“Rory you are a well-traveled woman, who is now expecting a baby in less than ideal circumstances. You went to Yale, you had me and all the crazy women of this town as role models, and we’ve watched an ungodly amount of TV with women in this exact situation. Now I want you to carefully think and process what I’m saying.”

“You are two almost three months pregnant; you are not with the father. The Father who hasn’t spoken to you in weeks since you told him. Yes, he may be shell shocked but not a text or an email to say drop dead.”

“While on the subject I don’t like who you are with Logan, you become someone else. Do you remember Founders Day? Crying in my bathroom because he didn’t like you, my daughter never cried over a guy like that.”

“At least not in the downstairs bathroom those tiles suck.” Rory retorted.

Lorelai ignored the joke and pulled her chair around the desk closer to Rory. “If you only listen to one part of this panic-induced speech it’s this. Hear what you just said. I have never been a fan of Jess. But Jess whom you are not dating, who is not the father just told you he doesn’t care if the whole town thinks he got you pregnant and not to tell anyone that it’s not his. To let everyone assume that he’s the father, which would then to me imply he’d be around with you with the baby after it’s born.”

Rory shook her head. “That is not implied, and he’s my friend.”

“Rory, Luke lives here, Liz, and his little sister live here. He overcame all the stupid crap he did as a kid and can walk the streets safely. Do you think that this town is going to let him get away with impregnating the town beloved Rory Gilmore and then ditching her and the baby.”

Rory felt very small now. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Honey guys don’t just do that; Help you haul furniture, drive you to an appointment, maybe. Not offer to play daddy.”

“That’s not what he did.”

“Are you entirely sure about that? Honey Jess is completely in love with you. I will support you either way but you two need to talk this out. Do it before the baby comes. Do it this weekend. Cards on the table, if you don’t want him it’s kinder to him to put it to a stop. But if you have feelings for him I don’t know maybe you could be happy sooner rather than later.”

The office phone rang.

Lorelai huffed out her stress before answering, “Lorelai Gilmore Drago-”

Rory could hear Luke screaming over a huge noise. “Don’t come to the dinner. Go home or stay at the inn. Lock the doors. Make sure you’re not followed.”  Click.

Lorelai stared at the receiver “Well either the zombie apocalypse started or they’ve chased Luke down.”

“Welcome back to the Twilight Zone. Rory said dryly. 


	6. Chapter 6

The night before Thanksgiving Rory picked up her ringing phone. She’d programmed a ringtone for everyone who would need to speak to her.

“Hey, Jess.”

“Hey, where are you?”

“I’m at Mom’s and Luke’s.” She was ready for bed in her pajamas and Jess’s stolen hoodie.

“Open the window.”

“What?”

“Hurry up open the window.”

She got up and did as instructed “Unlocked and opened.”

Within a second a dark figure darted out from the trees and was shutting her window and curtains.

“How very Edward Cullen of you. The front door works perfectly well.”

“Yeah but the door is perfectly in line with Babette’s spy equipment.” Jess snarked back.

“What are you doing here?” Rory asked.

“Seeing you.”

“I meant in here now running through the trees.”

“You said they banned the torches you said nothing about the pitchforks. Nice shirt.”

“You cut your hair.”

He ran his hands through his shortened hair. “Yeah.”

“It looks nice. So what brings you by three days early?”

“We actually have some business to discuss.”

Her heart dropped into her stomach. “So you’re here to do damage control.”

“What? No, my distributor sent me with a messaged and I was told if you don’t come back with it don’t come back.”

“Come back with what?” Rory asked. 

“She wants to see your chapters. One, ten, a series.”

“Really?”

“Her name’s Sarah, here is her card you can discuss with her directly if you want. I can’t promise anything but she’s interested in representing you and Gilmore Girls.”

“Jess that’s fantastic thank you.” She hugged him. “Did you, push her into it?”

“You never just believe in yourself or me.” He smirked and pulled out his phone. “Hey Sarah, yeah it’s me. I’m here with Miss Gilmore and I’d like you to tell her what you told me.”

“Hello, Miss Gilmore?”

“Yes.”

“Hi, it’s great to finally speak with you. Look Jess gave me a brief sum up of your book at our last meeting. Trust me I don’t go after writers they’re knocking down my door. But this I want. It sounds perfect for a couple of the niches we’re trying to fill; I want whatever you are willing to send me I don’t care if it isn’t edited.”

“I have a few chapters finished,” Rory said. 

“I need a read through to get it optioned, and then I can set up a meeting with you at a later date. Does this sound good to you?”

“Absolutely thank you so much.”

“Jess has my contact info, you can email it, give it to him paper, flash drive, carrier pigeon I don’t care but I want it.”

“I’ll send you what I have in about five minutes.”

“Looking forward to it. Goodnight Miss Gilmore.”

“Goodnight.”

After she hung up Rory squealed. “Thank you, Jess.”

Another scream came through the house. “I smell snow.”

“Stop opening all the windows,” Luke yelled after Lorelai.

“But I smell snow how can I breathe it in inside.”

“Go outside.”

“But it’s cold outside.” She whined.

“It will be cold inside if you open all the windows.”

“But not as cold and we have a couch inside.”

“Lorelai no.”

“Fine.” Rory I’m going out to smell the snow. “You and Jess behave.”

Her bedroom door opened without a knock.

Both Jess and Rory looked like guilty teenagers. “Please, you think I don’t know what slamming a window to sneak a boy into your room sounds like?”

She shut it and bolted outside.

“Lorelai put your coat on,” Luke called after her. 

Rory and Jess looked out the window to see Luke chasing Lorelai around the yard with a coat.

“It is never a dull moment around here,” Jess stated.

“Nope. Let’s send my book. My book. I’m going to have a book.”  She was giddy.

“You’re very quiet,” Rory noted.

Jess shrugged “Just thinking.”

“About?”

“Just things.”

“Things. Me too, I think we have some stuff to talk about.”

He nodded.

“Me first,” she said. “I decided that I don’t care if Logan does want to be a part of the baby’s life, he can be but he has to come here. I’m not doing what my mom had to do with me and cart me around to wherever my dad was just for a few hours of his time. And I don’t want him if he does.”

“Very big revelation there.”

“Yeah well. I ended things because we weren’t good for each other. That hasn’t changed. Maybe I’m selfish for not wanting to run when he calls but I saw what that did to mom." Rory couldn't help the bitterness in her voice. "You get a phone call and drop everything so your kid can get a few hours of attention every few months.” 

He knew a little too well how that felt except he’d never had those few hours. 

Jess smiled at her. “So what to do about those rumors?”

Rory played with the hem of her/his sweatshirt and wouldn’t look at him. “Well, I haven’t talked to anyone at all yet. I haven’t even told my dad. My mom said some things to me that I’m processing.”

“Processing.” Jess nodded. 

She looked up at him “Jess, are you in love with me?”

“Yes.”

“Just like that no thinking about it weighing it out.”

“Nope. I’ve had years of thinking about it. I love you. I never stopped.”

Rory hadn't expected him to be that honest with her. 

“I’ve always loved you too, but I don’t know if I’m in love with you. My head is a mess right now.”

“Maybe don’t think about it. Just do what feels right." He moved closer to her.

“So if you were to do that, what would you do?”

He took a few steps closer to her. The front door banged open.

“I’m cold,” Lorelai whined.

“Then you should have put the coat on,” Luke grumbled.

“I was fine until the puddle.”

“Again the coat would have helped.”

“But then my coat would be all dirty. And I’d have to get it cleaned. And I wouldn’t have a coat and I’d be cold then too.”

They continued arguing about the coat and Lorelai being cold as they went up the stairs.

“Jess, what do you want?” Rory asked once it was quite.

“You. What do you want?”

“To not be pregnant. Why this is so messed up?” She sat on her bed.

He said, “It’s not great but I can help you.”

“Not great boy there’s an understatement.”

“Rory there is one girl for me. I met her when I was seventeen. But she had a boyfriend so I had to wait for her, then I had her and I screwed up a lot. Then I was still a screw-up and tried to get her to leave school, her dream for most of her life which was really stupid.

And she made me get my act together. I came back and she had the most arrogant prick of a boyfriend so I waited again so that you could be happy and you weren’t happy then and you aren’t happy now but we can be.

And I can’t say I don’t care about the baby because I do, I don’t care that it’s not mine. I love you Rory and I want to be with you with both of you.”

The words broke her heart again. She’d really screwed up with Logan. If he’d said anything like that in the last few years thing would have been so different.

“If you can’t do that fine. But you don’t have to raise the baby alone. I can be uncle Jess or whatever.  I love you, Rory. I love both of you.”

He kissed her. Same old Jess. He was familiar and when he kissed her she was spinning.

“Jess.” She whispered.

“So tell the whole town its Logan’s or let them think it’s mine or tell them it’s mine. Whatever you want to do, but I’m here. I’m always here.”

“Wow. You really did think that through.”

“It’s a long drive back and forth to Philly. Look don’t say anything right now just think about it.”

“Trust me I am.”

“Let’s watch some TV. I’m not trying to pressure you or anything, but do you need some cash or anything.” He said it kindly like he had months before in the newsroom. Not like he was offering the poor pregnant girl hush money.

“Look Jess I really appreciate it but I need to do some of it on my own.”

“I can respect that. Hell, I was living in an apartment with seven other guys on a mattress because I wanted to survive on my own.”

Rory laughed “Seven dudes one mattress, I hope they were short.”

“We each had our own mattress or a couch. Either way, it was not pretty.”

“Tell me a story.” She said.

“About what?”

“California, after you left here.” 

“Well, I am not the California type that’s for sure.”

She teased him “All that leather doesn’t breathe.”

“It was way too healthy, salads and vegan. I had a burger once and got chased by some PETA people. I was only there for the summer. I went back to New York by October.” He knew that wasn’t the story she wanted.

“I took the bus to Venice beach. I found Jimmy.  I didn’t know my dad so it was weird, he let me crash but it wasn’t home. Hell, I had to beg him to let me stay.”

“Do you two talk?” she asked. 

“Not really. You can’t be gone fifteen years and try to set up a relationship, I don’t think he wanted one not with me anyway. I told him I didn’t need a dad. I think that’s what I did want. I wanted him to want to be my dad. He just didn’t.”

“Jess I’m sorry.”

“Is what it is. But you asked me for a story. How about this one?” He pulled some pages from his bag.

“You wrote another book.”

“Eh. Book is high praise for it. It’s a few chapters so far.”

“You’re always modest about your books. Read it.”

They both leaned against her headboard as he began reading his story and Rory fell asleep she dreamed something she couldn’t remember but felt warm and safe. Jess covered her up and slept on the couch.


	7. Chapter 7

The smell of bacon and eggs wafting into Rory’s room woke her the next morning. She got up and ran into the bathroom to throw up. When she was done she came back to the kitchen with Luke.

Luke was washing dishes. “I’m sorry Rory.”

“Not your fault it comes with the territory.” She flopped down at the table. “Thanks for the foam floor mats.”

“Well, Kirk complained so much I thought I’d be a good investment.”

“Big improvement on the knees.”  Rory glanced at the clock. "Is mom sick?”

“She claims she has diphtheria or tuberculosis, but since she was singing Go Go's in the shower I think she’s fine.”

Rory had interviewed some pretty important people, the President, diplomats, yet Luke made her nervous. She knotted the hem of her sleeves in her thumbs. “Luke, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” Wiping his hands on a towel he sat across from her.

“I know you love me, you’re more my dad than my dad but did that make it harder?”

Luke took a moment to sort his feelings, he was never good at expressing them. “Yeah it did, it was much harder when we broke up because I loved you too. I thought of you as mine before I got together with your mom. It was a hell of a lot harder when your dad would screw up and not show up and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.”

“But you did.” Rory smiled at him.

“What?”

“I was ten and dad was supposed to come get me and he canceled last minute we were supposed to go to the fair in Woodbridge. You took me instead. You bought me an ice cream and we went on the Farris wheel even though you hated it.”

Both remembered the long ago day where Luke had made a little ignored girl very happy.

“You passed out in the car on the way home.”

“I did.”

“Rory If what you’re asking is was it harder to love you or your mom because of you? No, you made it easier.”

She tried not to tear up. “So if you love me can I have some coffee?”

“No.” Luke smiled at her, so much like her mother. 

“Damn it.”

*****

Thanksgiving was a simple affair.

Luke started to a turkey in their kitchen and the smell made Rory sick. So he took everything to the dinner to cook it.

Rory hid in the bathroom most of the day with Jess and Lorelai taking turns comforting her.

Rory took rolls and forced them down.

When he came back Luke and Lorelai bickered about the placement of the turkey statue she’d found somewhere until Luke gave up and put it where Lorelai wanted it. Only for her to not like it and put it back where Luke had said to put it.

Jess and Rory avoided the kitchen and watched Miracle on 34th Street.

As their first Thanksgiving as a married couple Lorelai wanted to mark the day with a Thanksgiving classic movie. Thanks-Killing. After twenty minutes Luke was asleep and the three remaining pigged out on candy and apples which seemed to be the only thing Rory could eat easily.

 

Friday morning Lorelai contracted typhus again now what Rory wasn’t sick.

Jess was reading on the couch when Lorelai bounced down the stairs. “I heard you were dying.”

“I am near death's door but my daughter needs me,” Lorelai said with her patented Scarlett O’Hara accent.

“Your sacrifice is great,” Jess said dryly.

“Mom you’re fine,” Rory said still a bit queasy and cranky.

“Well at least someone appreciates my trials.”

“Where you two off too?” Jess asked.

“I have a doctor’s appointment,” Rory said sheepishly.

“And I have the plague.” Lorelai placed her hand over her forehead.

“I thought it was TB,” Rory asked. 

“It comes and it goes.”

“If you’re sick I can drive you.” Jess offered.

Lorelai stopped. “Really, you want to go with us?”

“Sure. I wasn’t planning on doing anything much today. If you don’t want me to-“

“No that would be nice,” Rory said.

“Did you get your license fixed?” Jess asked.

Rolling her eyes “Yes I got my license fixed.”

*****

“Ms. Gilmore, we can take you now. If you two would wait just outside until we call you in.”

Jess and Lorelai sat in the empty waiting room awkwardly. “I should stay out here.”

“Drove all the way here to sit in a chair,” Lorelai stated sarcastically.

“No. Yes. I don’t know.”

“I’ll ask her and if she wants you there you should be. But you two need to have a definitive talk and stop tip-toeing around each other. I don’t know what you two are doing but if you’re going to be daddy you have to act like it.” Lorelai snapped.

“If you want to do something do it and if she needs you to back off she needs to say it. Stop worrying so much about being delicate with each other’s feeling at the moment. You’re both adults you don’t want to do something don’t.”

The nurse called “You can come in now.”

“Hold on.” Lorelai went in returning a few minutes later. “She says come in. I told her the same thing. God, I’m irritable without coffee.”

“Is that out of solidarity?” Jess asked.

“God no I’m banned. Luke put the house on coffee lockdown. He took it after I went to bed one night and if Rory’s with me at the diner I can’t have any either, and never a to-go cup.”

"Sorry to be such a burden," Rory said sarcastically. 

"I sacrifice and gave up coffee for nine months because of you already. I'm not doing it again." 

A knock on the door ended her coffee tirade. 

“Hi, I’m Doctor Parsons. I’m going to get your ultrasound going. And who do we have with us today, Grandma and Dad?”

“Uh, grandma.” Lorelai recoiled.

Rory explained “She’s not used to the term yet. And this is-“

“Jess.” He interrupted.

“This might be cold. Ah, there you are little one.”

“What is it?” Rory asked not knowing if she wanted the answer.

“Too early to know yet. You’re two and a half months along, so your little one should arrive around in mid-June.”  The doctor made some notes. “Ok I’m done with this part of the exam everything looks good, are you ready to see your baby?”

Rory nodded.

The doctor turned the screen.

“Wow,” Rory said. “Just wow.”

Lorelai was oddly silent.

"I didn't think you'd be able to see it, not you know like a baby."

"The technology is amazing now with how details." Dr. Parsons said. “Would you like some prints?”

“Yes.” All three said at once.

“One more step here,” she pushed a button and the room filled with a throbbing sound. “And that is your son or daughter's heartbeat. It’s very good.”

“Mom.”

Lorelai leaned over and kissed her daughter on the head.

“That’s it. Everything looks good but I am just a little worried about your blood pressure.”

“My blood pressure.”

“It’s nothing to be alarmed about it’s just a little high, sometimes its hormones, diet, the stress of being at the doctor. Just try to relax and avoid as much stress as possible.”

“Oh that all.”


	8. Chapter 8

The ride home was oddly silent, Rory and Lorelai both stared at their copies of the ultrasound. Lost in their own minds.

Jess pulled up in front of Luke’s. “I’ll be in after I park the car.”

Lorelai saw the impending crowd “Rory go.”

Rory went into the diner alone while Jess parked the car and Lorelai was bombarded by people they’d been avoiding all week.

“Two coffee’s please.”

“Sorry,” Caesar said.

Rory waved it off. “They can wait for a fresh pot it’s no problem.”

“No, we can’t serve you coffee.”

“What? It’s not for me it’s for Jess and my Mom.”

“Luke’s orders.”

“What is this?” Rory snapped.

“Luke’s.”

“Funny Funny.” She glared at him as he walked to another table.

“Hey, Kirk. Will you order my mom a coffee to go?”

“Sorry Luke said no.”

“What is with you people? When did you all become children of the corn!” she shouted. 

“I’m not familiar with that, but if you need a babysitter I have excellent references.”

“Gee thanks, Kirk.”

She huffed and went outside.

Everyone was watching her and a small group of people, who weren’t surrounding her mother, started following her. “For the love of God.” She marched to the Gazebo. Everyone followed behind her as she stood on the steps.

“All right people, I’m pregnant you all know that because gossip in this town is like wildfire.” She shouted at them. “No, I’m not getting married because I don’t want to get married. And I have high blood pressure and you people are stressing me out now stop it or it’s going to make me and the baby sick. Got it! Now stop following me!” 

She marched back to the diner.

Jess stood at the door waiting for her. “Very nice Gilmore.”

“Can it Dodger.”

He held the door open for her. “Well now that you’re pissed when are you going to tell your dad and grandma?”

“Dad I can’t get ahold of. Grandma, I’m leaving to mom to arrange. I just show up and tell. Where were you anyway how long does it take to park a car?” She snapped.

“I got invited to the thirty something gang.” He gave her an annoyed face which softened her anger.

“No?” She laughed. 

“Oh yes. Are they as creepy as they seem?”

“Don’t worry if you make some loud noises it usually frightens them off,” Rory said.

Lorelai walked in. “I have successfully fended off the creepy gawkers and told them to back off because you need to relax. Hey, Kirk?” She used a flirty voice.

“Save it, I already tried.” Rory sighed. 

Lorelai whined “Damn.” Her phone rang. “Double Damn. Hi, mom.”

“Yes. Rory and I were wondering if you’d like to go to lunch. I don’t know tomorrow, Monday. Whenever you’re free. Tomorrow at one great. You pick the place and let us know where. Okay bye.”

“There anything else on your to-do list for me my darling daughter?” Lorelai said flopping into the seat.

Rory’s eyes sparkled “Drive to the Mexican border and smuggle me back some coffee.”

“Already on it babe. And by on it I mean I’m hoarding it somewhere you can’t find because I am not pregnant.”

Luke came up to the table. “So it’s an?”

“It.” Lorelai smiled. “We won’t know for a while but here take a look _Grand-pa_.” She emphasized the word.

Luke took the picture “Wow. That’s something.” He didn’t say anything else and walked back to the back with the picture.

“Mom,” Rory stared after Luke “that isn’t going to end up on the back of the menus is it?”

“I better stop him from calling the printer.”

Rory looked at her picture and Jess moved closer to look with her. “It’s kind of I don’t know more real right?”

“Definitely,” Jess said.

“Look I know you offered but this is pretty big. I can’t ask you.”

“You didn’t I offered. End of the line I’m with you.” He picked it up to look closer. “both of you.”

“So Jess you said something that I’ve been thinking about.” Rory started.

“Say a lot of things.”

“No, you don’t actually.” Rory joked. “You said you’d be whatever.”

Jess was careful, he knew when Rory was working up to something. “I meant that. Still do”

Rory got up the courage to say “You can walk out right now no harm no foul.”

“Let’s go upstairs,” Jess said and they walked up to Luke’s apartment passing Lorelai and Luke by the store room.

Jess kept his voice low but he was angry “Rory do you still think I can walk away? I could walk out that door and if I never saw you again it would be just another bad note in our history. You’d find someone else eventually and you’d be happy”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “But this is it for me Rory. You and it. I’ve been in this since you told me everyone thought it was mine. Hell since you told me about the baby. It’s been the three of us. So you tell me right now what you want.”

Rory was shocked, “You know what I want.”

“Do I? When have you said anything? I told you I love you. I don’t know if we’re dating or not. We’re sort of together but we’re not.  I offered to be the kid's dad, and I can do it but not if you keep pushing me out the door. Stop giving me an out I didn’t ask for. Rory, if you want me to go I won’t bother you anymore.”

He’d slapped her with his words. Rory’s mind raced he could in fact leave, that she was pushing him away. She thought of losing him and started crying.

Jess knelt down beside her “Rory I’m sorry please don’t cry. I’m an ass.”

“Jess I’m sorry.” Rory choked out “Don’t go. Not because of it. Because I love you I do, I’m sorry.” She hiccupped through the tears.

“I want you to be the dad, I wish you were instead. I love you please believe me.”

“I’m sorry Rory.”

They said nothing else until they both calmed down.

“We should go back down.” Rory wiped her eyes “I’m good.”

“All I seem to do is make you cry,” Jess said flatly.

“No, you don’t. It’ll get better. Right?”

Jess didn’t say anything.

“ _Right_?” Rory was back to being determined.

“Right.”

“Good. We’re good aren’t we?”

“We’re good.” Jess smiled a little tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

A knock at the door got their attention. Lorelai popped her head in. “Hey you two better come on down, they’ll think you’re making another one.”

“Mom.” Rory groaned.

“Please, you haven’t heard half of the comments I got after the flannel shirt incident.”

“Well, I am fully clothed.” Rory retorted.

“Not when the busybodies get done telling it.” Lorelai glanced between the two. “Everything okay up here?”

“Everything’s good,” Jess said.

The way he said it made Rory believe him.

*******

“Do you need some backup?” Lorelai offered.

“No, I need to do this by myself.”  Rory walked up to the table her grandmother was sitting at.

“Hi, grandma.”

“Rory what a surprise you inviting me to lunch but I insist it’s on me. I’ve been so busy at the museum that I haven’t gotten out socially for a few weeks.” 

The waitress approached. “Are you ready to order?”

“Can you give us a few minutes first I’ll flag you down?” Lorelai said.

“So Grandma I have something to tell you and I don’t know how you’re going to take it.Please don’t yell because I was told I need to keep my blood pressure down so here goes.” 

She took a deep breath stealing herself against her grandma’s cruel words. “I’m going to have a baby.”

“Oh, Rory that’s delightful. If it’s a boy would you please consider naming it Richard? It could be his middle name, it would just be a nice thought if you do.” Emily gushed.

“Of- c-course” Rory stammered. “I would but I thought you’d be mad. It isn’t proper I’m not married and not going to get married.”

Emily spoke sadly “You know what is proper Rory. Proper is my husband walking our daughter down the aisle. Proper is living the rest of my years with the man I loved for over fifty years. Proper is a lot of things that you don’t get in life." 

She shook herself out of the memories "So who is the proud father?”

“Million dollar question isn’t it?” Lorelai mumbled.

Emily looked horrified. “You mean to tell me that you don’t know?”

“No, I know grandma. Trust me I _know_ who the father is. He’s just not interested and I’m fine with that. We weren’t together when I found out. He’s with someone else.”

“So why is that a question I don’t understand?”

“It's complicated. My old boyfriend and I have been friends a really long time and we sort of got back together. Anyway, he wants to be involved.”

“Which old boyfriend?” Emily asked. 

“Jess, and before you get mad he’s changed a lot he was a messed up teenager and he’s doing really well now. He knows he’s not the dad, but he wants to be.” Rory defended him.

Emily sat contemplating for a moment. “I did only meet him the one time. Well, when Luke and Lorelai come to Nantucket in a few weeks you bring him along.”

“Saw it coming a mile away,” Lorelai mumbled to Rory. “Mom, why are you not mad? Why don’t you yell at her?”

“Do you really want me to yell at my pregnant granddaughter in a restaurant?” Emily rolled her eyes resembling her daughter very much.

“I mean a little it would make me feel better.”

“Lorelai that is very small of you.”

“Oi vey. Excuse me do you have any coffee?”

The waitress smiled sweetly. “Sorry Ma’am we stop serving after eleven.”

“Oh God.”

*******

Lane sat on Rory’s bed “How could you not tell me?”

“I wasn’t going to tell anyone yet. Almost no one knows. Knew." Rory corrected. "How the hell did everyone find out?”

“Charlie.”

“You mean sleeps twenty hours a day at the paper Charlie?”

“Well in those four waking hours he heard you tell someone you were pregnant. He told someone who told Patty and boom.” Lane said.

Rory asked sheepishly “Does everyone know?”

“No not everyone. I think the Smith’s were at her mom’s house for Thanksgiving.”

“Great.”

“By the way, my mom sent you this pamphlet to read about unwed mothers burning in hell for all eternity. It’s for you and Lorelai to share.”

“Mama Kim is nothing if not consistent. Wow, new printer?”

 “No one of the exchange students for her choir upgraded her graphics software.”

“It’s made all the difference look at those demons. That one’s hot.”

Lane glanced over “He’s copyright infringement, that’s from that one show.”

“The gay one? Good choice he’s the cuter brother.”

Lane took Rory’s hand. “Rory if Zach and I can do anything.”           

“Can you stay for a bit?”

“Well I _should_ be cleaning the house but damn you talked me into it. Twist my arm Gilmore.” 

They both laughed and listened to music on Rory's bed like they had when they were teens. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a couple more chapters completed and I'm doing a quick edit on those. Once I hit Christmas in the story I have to finish up what I have in progress. Thanks to everyone who's reading. Happy Holidays.

**Mid December**

Early December snow stranded Jess in Philadelphia for a week leaving Rory to work on her book. In a month nothing had come through from Rory’s old magazine job or any of her contacts. Once the snow cleared Jess was back where he belonged.

“Luke do you think Jess would mind if I used his laptop? I left my chargers in my car and mom has it.”

“No, it should be on the table,” Luke called from the kitchen.

“Where is he?” Rory asked.

“He ran an errand for something I wasn’t listening.”

Rory flipped on the laptop he’d changed the background since the last time she’d used it. Rory couldn’t breathe. It was the sonogram picture. She completely forgot why she wanted the computer in the first place.

She wasn’t so naïve to think that this was just a small thing.

Jess walked in and shouted from the doorway shaking the snow off his hat. “Hey, Luke do you have keys to the garage? The driveway’s filling u-“

Rory was in his arms kissing him before he could finish the sentence.

“Hoo Haa girl now that’s a kiss,” Babette shouted from her yard.

Jess closed the door waving. “Bye Babette.”

“God you two are adorable. That baby’s gonna be beautiful.”

Rory blushed bright red. “Well, I guess I know what tomorrow's gossip is going to be.”

Jess smirked, “You just keep giving them ammo Rory.”

“Are you complaining?”

“No, I’m a willing participant.” He brushed her bangs back from her face. Looking over her shoulder he saw his laptop open. “You should really check your email.”

“What?”

He pointed at his open computer.

“Oh right. Luke said you wouldn’t mind. Sorry, ” Rory babbled.

 “Don’t. But you really should check your email.”

“Okay.” Jess was still smiling at her. “What?”

“Nothing.” he said.

“Yeah right.” Rory typed in her information and scanned the messages.

“Oh my God. Jess” she started grabbing at his shirt. “They want my book they want my book. They’re going to publish it through Truncheon.”

“Sarah texted me you had some good news.” Jess smiled.

“I have a meeting in Philadelphia next week. I need a new lucky outfit.”

“I suggest something without underwear. Luckily for you...”

“Ha ha, I found them thank you,” Rory replied sarcastically. “No really thank you for everything.”

“It was nothing.”

“Nothing with Jess Mariano is never nothing. It was a big something.”

“As much as I’m enjoying this I need to earn my keep. I’ll be back in soon.” Jess kissed her on the cheek.

He got keys from Luke, who stayed suspiciously hidden, safely the kitchen, and got a snow shovel from the garage. He shoveled the drive and stairs. Rory watched from the window.

There was something domestic she liked about seeing him doing things for her. Logan only ever hired people to do things. Shaking her head trying to ignore the thought she looked back at her- boyfriend? She’d have to figure that out too.

Rory went to the kitchen and made hot chocolate, it was ready by the time Jess finished the driveway.

“What took you so long?” She asked him.

“I shoveled Babette and Morey’s sidewalk too as a bribe to keep quiet.”

“You just wasted ten minutes because she’s probably already called half the town.” 

“Only half?” He asked as he sipped his hot chocolate.

“We have tricky cell reception.”

“Is it too cold for you out there?” Jess asked her after he’d warmed up a bit.

“No. Probably some of mom’s snow blood.” 

“Take a walk with me.”

“Okay.”

They strolled through the town the snow had stopped falling and it was quiet. Jess held her hand and she leaned into him.

This is what she should have had she thought. It was easier now. The wall was broken through.

Rory just let Jess lead her around town until they were back near her street. He walked up to the door of a house and walked right in.

“What are you doing?” Rory asked.

“Just come on.” The house was fairly spacious for the small size of it.

“What is this?”

“Don’t freak out on me.”

“Never good words to start with,” Rory crossed her arms.

“It’s for sale or rent. I know you said you want to do this on your own but I don’t want you to. It’s going to be way too cramped living in your room with a baby.”

Rory was dumbfounded “You want me to buy a house.”

“I want _us_ to buy a house. If you want too.”

“But you live in Philadelphia,” She argued trying to hash out everything before she got her hopes up.

“I rent an apartment in Philadelphia,” Jess replied. “I have two partners who manage the store. We don’t get paid for going in. It’s a couple hours’ drive from here if I have to go there.”

When Rory didn’t say anything, Jess continued.

“Your mom lives here. You can hop on a plane for a story any time half this town would watch the baby.”

He had a point.

Jess continued “You’re going to get an advance from the publisher so you don’t need me or anyone else to help you with money. But I want to be there with you, you can count on me now.”

“Can I think about it?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey Jess, I love you.” She’d said it casually once, then when they’d been arguing.

He stood there.

“Well, that shut you up.” Rory laughed.

He moved closer to her. “Say it again.”

“I.  Love. You. In love with you love you.” She kissed him on the nose. He grabbed her and kissed her and spun her around.

“Don’t spin me I’ll get sick.” She giggled and he put her down. “Since we broke in we might as well look around.”

“We did not break in; the agent said he’d leave it unlocked while he went into town.”

Jess walked her through the rooms “I thought this would be a good writing area slash library.”

There was a small room connected to a larger room. “This could be your room and the little one could be the baby’s room.”

Rory slowly roamed through the pretty rooms. Jess let her wander for as long as she wanted, knowing it was her way.

“Jess. I need a few days to think about, but I’m really leaning towards a yes.”

******

Jess drove them both to Philly at the end of their weekend for her meeting with Sarah and the other publishers. Jess was right they gave her a generous advance and were fans of her New Yorker piece.

The pair went to dinner to celebrate which Rory insisted on paying for and it almost started an argument.

Afterward, Jess got a call from Matt.

“Sorry, we can’t,” Jess said into the phone.

“Can’t what?” She asked.

“Some of the people from work are at a bar we go to a lot. They want us to meet them.”

Rory nudged him “Let’s go, it will be fun.”

“You sure?”  Rory nodded. “Alright be there soon.”

“Guess I can show you off,” Jess said.

“You want to show me off, how primitive?” She smiled.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all. What do you think I’m going to do with you?” Rory laced her arm through Jess’s and they got into his car.

 

The bar had indy music playing but not blaring from the speakers. “This place is cool,” Rory said.

“The hipsters haven’t found it yet.” He joked.

Jess found his friends easily and introduced everyone.

“So this is _the_ Rory. No offense but I hated reading that New Yorker piece.” Chris said.

“Really why? I usually get good feedback from it.” Rory asked.

Matt laughed “He’s drunk don’t mind his manners. He doesn’t have them sober.” 

“Oh don’t get us wrong the article was fant-tas-tic,” Chris slurred a bit, “but Jess kept shoving it at us. I had to read it like six times.”

Rory eyed Jess who just looked at his shoes “He did huh?”

“What can we say? He’s proud.” Matt said.

“All of you shut up,” Jess grumbled.

Rory teased him“Oh come on I like hearing stories about you.”

Matt and Chris smiled “Then you’ve come to the right place.”

Jess turned Rory away “Nice to see you guys bye now.”

“Rory give us your number before you go we’ve got lots of stories.” One of the boys shouted after her.

“Would you like to dance?” Jess asked.

This surprised her “Really? You want to dance?”

“Well, you did dress up.”

“I do love this song.”

They danced and Rory was finally happy, for the first time in months she wasn’t terrified. She was free.

When the song finished Jess introduced her around to some people who worked for him and then they were ready to go back to his apartment.

He’d been right it wasn’t anything to write home about but it was Jess. Books everywhere dark furniture a mix of everything that was him. “Somebody’s hooked on phonics,” she teased. “Ugh, my feet hurt. I’m not used to heels anymore.”

Jess scooped her up before she could take another step.

“Where too?”

“Couch my good man.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. Since she’d dated Jess years ago he’d gotten a little taller, more muscular, he’d also grown more stable. She liked this new Jess.

As he set her down she didn’t want to let go so she didn’t.

She kissed him.

Feverishly she kissed him. She’d told him she loved him. But maybe she hadn’t, because right now she really knew she did, or maybe she just loved him more.

Jess kissed her back he fell to the couch and pulled her closer to him.

Rory pushed away catching her breath. “Stop. I changed my mind.”


	10. Chapter 10

Jess kissed her back he fell to the couch and pulled her closer to him.

Rory pushed away catching her breath. “Stop. I changed my mind. Bed now.”

Jess carried her off and gently set her on his bed. She kicked off her shoes as she unbuttoned his shirt. Jess unzipped her dress and pulled the straps down her arms. He took a small step back.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

She stood up. “This is the only thing I’m sure about. I love you, Jess.” She pushed her dress down her hips until it fell to the floor.

He kissed her again. Pushed her to the bed and took off his pants.

They fell together. It was sensual and sweet.

When she woke in the morning it was to Jess kissing her softly on the top of the head.

“Jess, I think we should get the house.”

“Good.”

“But I don’t like the room you picked for me.”

“Then you can have mine.”  He mumbled.

“I will, but only if you come with it.”

“Deal.”

*****

When the weekend hit Rory and Jess were back at her mom’s. A knock woke Rory from her nap. “I’m coming. Hold on.”

The knocking continued.

“Did you forget your key again?”  She grumbled as she made her way to the door.

She expected Jess or one of the locals stopping by for a visit or looking for Lorelai. Her heart nearly stopped when she opened the door. “Logan.”

“Hi. I came to ask you would you go back with me?”

She wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or her hormones but she was furious with him but tried to push it away. “I don’t talk to you for a month and you can’t even say nice weather first.”

“Can I come in?” Logan asked calmly.

She held her hand on the door. “I don’t think so.”

“I get that you’re mad,” Logan tried to soothe her.  “Come back to London with me Ace.”

 “I’m seeing someone,” Rory blurted out.

“Ace.” He used a condescending tone she’d learned to decipher years ago.

“No Logan, I’m not lying,” She let out a breath trying to calm her nerves. “Tell me are you still marrying Odette?”

“Not if you come with me.”

“So she doesn’t know and you didn’t tell her as a backup. This is why we broke up,” Rory said calmly.

“Rory it’s not like that.”

“I think it is like that,” She snapped. “I’m tired you woke me up and I don’t want you in my house. If you want to discuss the baby call me. I can’t do this right now. I’m going to take care of my baby on my own.”

“You’re living at your mother’s.”

“I’m buying a house with my boyfriend. We’re building something here.”

“Does he think it’s his?” Logan’s words just hovered in the air.

If he had slapped her she would have been less shocked and now she was pissed. “Get out. Now!”

“I’m sorry that didn’t-”

“I think she asked you to leave.” Jess slammed his car door.

Rory hadn’t noticed him pull up. She was happy to see him but didn’t want him running into Logan.

“I don’t think this has anything to do with you.” Logan challenged.

“I think it has a lot to do with me. Rory are you alright?”

“I’m fine Jess. Logan go, you can call me if you feel like it but I meant what I said.”

Logan refused to give up “Rory we should talk.”

“Not now,” Jess said.

Logan got in Jess’s face. “This is between me and Rory.”

“Not anymore.”

“Jess please don’t,” Rory begged.

Jess took a step back.

“Logan leave now,” Rory said.

As Jess walked inside and Rory closed the door her legs were shaking.

 _I did it_. She thought to herself. “I didn’t know he was coming here or going to do that. I’m sorry.”

Jess put his hands on her shoulders. “Rory stops being sorry for him, he’s a big boy.”

“I didn’t want you coming back and hearing something and thinking the wrong thing.”

“Don’t worry about it, I think you made things pretty clear all around.”

She was anxious and stressed out. “I wish I could still do my stress tap. It makes me sick, though.”

“Just lay down.”

“I have never been so lazy in my whole life.”

“Well, you deserve it.” Jess asked, “are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m okay.” She took his hand, “Now.”

“Did you mean what you said?”

“Yes. But specifically what part?” Rory’s mind raced over what she’d said. 

“That I was your boyfriend and we’re building a life?” For Jess, that was the most real this had felt for him.

“Well, after you got me naked, want us to buy a house, and we’re having this baby together I jumped to the conclusion that you’re my boyfriend.”

“I got you naked after I showed you the house.”

“Semantics,” Rory said.

“You’re not answering the question.”

“I mean all of it. I’m not the backup and neither are you. I love you.”  Sitting up to look him in the eyes “This is messy but I won’t go with him just because he’s the father. I want to be happy. You make me happy.”

Jess said the only thing he could think of “I love you.”

 

Lorelai came home to Rory lounging on the couch.

“So tell mommy what happened this week?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just Jess and I are together Logan showed up asked me to move to London while he’s still engaged to Odette and then almost got into a fight with Jess.”

“Honey you take overachieving to a whole new level.” Lorelai rubbed her forehead and sat down. “Logan showed up here or in Philadelphia. Have you two spoken?”

“Oh it was here and I haven’t heard from him since I told him. He asked me to go with him to London he’s still engaged, and then asked me if my boyfriend ‘thought it was his’.”

“Honey next time he pulls something like that you invite him in and call mommy. Luke made me watch all the _Saw_ movies I learned some things.”

“I told him to go eventually he did.”

“But not before seeing Jess.” Lorelai prompted.

“Now when is life ever that simple?”

“Of course. Is Jess mad?”

“At Logan probably for life, but not with me.”  Her stomach growled. “I told Logan to call if he wants to discuss the baby but I’ve got it. Jess made me sit here and then I got comfortable. He went to get me apples.”

“Sweets you’re going to make me go gray here.”

“Well, you are a Grandma soon.”

“Rosemary and I had such similar children, you just don’t have the hooves.” Lorelai grabbed Rory’s wrists and flopped her hands about for a moment.

“Okay, so what I really want to know is about that wonderful meeting? When am I going to see Lorelai Leigh Gilmore on the best Sellers list?”

“Not until it’s done. But I did get a contract and an advance and Mom it’s just a thousand times less stressful than it was a few days ago.”

“Get to work I want to brag or shun you publically.”

“Thanks. Any other questions?”

“Let me see let me see.” Lorelai tapped her chin, “we covered the meeting, and the fight, and the what was it? Oh right, you’re boyfriend. Eh, it’s a little of a let down on the drama after the other two.”

“You’re not mad, are you? I know Jess was never your favorite.”

“Jess and I got over the worst of it a while ago, and hey not like I’m surprised. I guess you two didn’t have to be a thing for him to be the daddy to it but he never got over you. By the way, did you tell him about Nantucket?”

“Damn it. I keep forgetting everything,” Rory whined.

“You’ve had some stress. I’ll do you a solid.”

“Hey, Jess It’s Lorelai. Oh yeah, everything is okay. Look funny thing happens when you’re pregnant you lose your brain power and Rory forgot to invite you to Nantucket. I figure since you’re out you may need to pick up things.”

“Yes, I made the same excellent joke.”

“Over Christmas. Luke and I have to go up for two weeks I think you can finagle a week or less.”

“Yes, sweaters are your friends.”

“Okay, buh bye.”

“He’s coming.” Lorelai pushed Rory’s feet over so she could sit with her.

“Wait really?”

“Trust me kid you got him hooked. Now back to that book.”

“I have a crazy advance and they liked it. I just have to finish it.”

“Congratulations honey. How much more do you have to write?”

“Until it’s done. I don’t know exactly.”

“Well here’s to another author in the family.”

“You’re calling Jess family now?”

“Technically he is my nephew by marriage but that’s getting a little too _The Hills have Eyes_ for me so let’s just say he’s with you he’s family.”

“Wow.” Rory ran to the window and looked outside.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out when did hell freeze over.”


	11. Chapter 11

Jess and Rory arrived at the Nantucket house right on time a few days before Christmas. Jess brought flowers for Emily learning from his past mistakes.

Jess pulled at his tie and collar, “Why the hell am I nervous?”

“Because you screwed up last time.” Rory laughed. “I’m kidding, been a while since you met the parents?”

“Only about fifteenish years,” Jess mumbled.

Rory placed a hand on his arm to stop him. “Are you telling me that the last time you met someone’s family was mine?”

“What can I say; you’re pretty hard to top.”

“Jess, is that what the tie is about? You didn’t need to do that.”

“It’s freezing let’s go inside.” Jess knocked on the door.

“I’m not going to drop this,” Rory said.

Jess gave her a smirk “Didn’t think you would, but let’s do it later okay?”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Emily opened the door.  “Rory how good to see you, you look lovely. Come in come in.”

As Jess helped Rory take her coat off Rory introduced him. “Grandma this is Jess.”

“Is it just Jess or do I get a last name?” She looked only at her granddaughter.

“Mariano, Mrs. Gilmore,” Jess said as he handed her the flowers.

“Thank you, and it’s Emily.” She said taking the flowers. “Mariano I’ve heard that somewhere.”

“Well yeah mom you’ve met him before.” Lorelai called from the sofa.

“Mariano Mariano. Oh the writer. My husband liked your first few books.”

“He did?” Lorelai was surprised.

So was Jess. “Where would he get my book?”

“I gave the first one to him.” Rory beamed.

“Richard read the first one that night and said it was intriguing. He read your next two also.”

“Well, I’m humbled. I don’t know if it deserves that much praise.”

“Shush you.” Rory explained, “He never takes credit for the books.” 

 “It was quite good.  I must say it was not what I was expecting.” Emily added “though I haven’t finished it, I only picked it up the other day. I didn’t realize it was yours.”

“Thank you Emily.” His phone rang. “I’m really sorry, is there somewhere I could take this?”

“Follow me, I better check on dinner and put these in water.”

“Well, that was weird,” Luke said.

“It’s Nantucket.” Lorelai said. “It’s very Twilight Zone out here. Oh I’m sorry, very Outer Limits here.”

Luke threw his head back on the sofa “I am never going to live that down.”

“Nope.” Rory sat on the far end.

A knock on the door drew everyone’s attention.

Lorelai called “Mom who else are you expecting?”

“No one. Burta’s family is all somewhere for the holiday I don’t know.”

Emily opened the door. “Christopher. What are you doing here?”

Chris pushed through into the main room “I swung by Stars Hallow looking for my daughter and I find out she’s pregnant from the neighbor.”

Rory sat frozen on the couch, wide-eyed and near tears.

Lorelai was across the room in a second pushing him out the door. “Chris this isn’t the time or the place. We can talk outside.”

“Mom?” Rory called.

“It’s okay honey. Just give us a minute.” Lorelai shut the door behind her.

They could hear muffled shouting.

Jess sat down in the chair next to Rory and took her hand.

“Should we?” Jess asked.

“No she’s got it.” Luke said with a smile. He still hated Christopher; Luke was fine with Lorelai yelling at him for as long as her lungs held out.

When they came back, Lorelai had her arms crossed her arms and stood next to Chris.

“Christopher,” Lorelai prompted.                                                        

“I’m sorry I came in here yelling.”

“If it’s alright with Rory you may stay for dinner but if you have one more outburst in my house I’ll have Luke throw you out on your ass.” Emily said as kindly as if she asked you to tea.  

They were frozen in shock.

Rory broke the silence rather stiffly. “Thank you dad. I tried calling you several times and your assistant always said you were out. I called your cell and always got your voicemail.”

Lorelai glared at Chris over her shoulder. “Again I’m sorry it was my fault and I should have made myself more available to you.”

Chris looked back at Lorelai.

“Better,” Lorelai mumbled.

It was awkward.

“Is there anything you need?” Chris asked.

“No, I’ve got it.”

“Can I ask-“

Lorelai snapped “No Chris. No questions.”

“She has to stay relaxed and she _will_ stay relaxed.” Lorelai sat next to Luke who wrapped his arm around her. There was an edge to her looks and silence.

“And this is?” Chris asked nodding toward Jess.

“Dad this is my boyfriend Jess.”

Jess stood and shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you Jess.” He was going to ask more questions but he caught Lorelai’s eye and changed his mind.

The room was full of an uncomfortable silence.

“Sorry that you can’t stay over but there’s no rooms available you’ll have to drive home or go to a hotel but as it is Christmas season I assume they’re all booked.”

Chris took the hint. “I suppose that I should go now, I don’t want to get stuck in the snow or something.”

“Yes that would be a shame; well if you can’t stay you can’t stay. Have a nice drive.” Emily shoved the door shut as soon as he stepped through.  

Luke was in awe that Emily sent the golden boy out of her house. “Emily I don’t think you need me to throw anyone out.”

“Oh I don’t but it would have been something to see.”  Emily walked off happily to check on dinner.

“Mom, you reminded me of Grandpa.” Rory smiled sadly.

“How so?” Lorelai asked.

“You get taller when you’re mad.”

“Really, how tall was I?”

“Fifty Feet.”

“Good then I can stomp over towns and villages.” Lorelai declared.

Luke said. “Better put on some pants first.”

“I’m sorry but are dinners always this- this?” Jess asked.

“Yeah.” Luke shrugged.   

Lorelai said. “Pretty much.”

 “Should have been there when Kirk dropped mom off and then couldn’t get home so he played soccer with the kids.”

*****

The group spent a nice evening chatting and playing cards. Emily sat in the kitchen looking over some notes as Lorelai and Luke went for a walk.

“Mrs. Gilmore?” Jess asked.

“Emily.”

“Emily, where is Rory’s room?”

“Down the hall first on the left. Why?”

“She fell asleep is all.”

Emily followed after a moment and watched as Jess slipped out of Rory’s room only to go to the couch and carry her back to it. She watched as he removed her shoes and cover her under the blankets. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. And Emily went back to the kitchen.

He was not the boy she’d wanted her granddaughter dating, but he’d turned into a man she hoped to like.


	12. Christmas Eve Eve

“Jess it’s your sister.” Luke tossed him the phone.

“Hi, Doul.  Yeah, I will- she says Merry Christmas Early.”

“Merry Christmas early Doula,”  Rory shouted across the table.

“Tell mom I’ll call her later. I don’t know maybe you’re just going to have to check. She hung up.”

“You know when there’s no present under the tree from you, she’s going to call you back.” Rory teased.

Jess smirked. “Yeah, and who said there wasn’t anything for her under the tree?”

“Sorry, I just assumed. I mean you’ve been driving back and forth to Philly and Stars Hollow.”

“I am offended,” He mocked her. “You think I’d forget to buy my baby sister a present on Christmas.”

“Not forget merely be so rushed.”

“I think you’re fishing for your present,” Jess smirked as he made his breakfast.

“I am not.” Rory made a face and asked, “Would you rather be there than out here?”

“You know my step-dad is T.J. right?”

“That is a fair point.” She laughed with him.

“Rory, it’s pretty much just a day to me. It is a big deal to you and your Grandmother so I’m here. I’m happy to be here.”

“What were your Christmases like when you were little?” She asked.

He shrugged, “Not much to do. Sometimes we had a tree.”

“That’s sad.”

He shrugged it off. “Like I said it’s just a day to me.”

“Well, I’m going to make this one the very best for you.”

“Hey, you’re here. I can’t do much better than that.” He kissed her.

“Uck kissing.” Lorelai squealed like a child when she came into the kitchen.

“Lorelai.” Jess stepped away from Rory.

Rory scoffed “Please after you got married the gross things you’d say to me.”

“God I need coffee.”

“Grandma hid on us too huh?”

“They do it because they love you. Me, on the other hand, they could care less about” Lorelai pulled out a box of pop tarts.

“So kid, ready to damage some credit cards? Grandma will be down in ten.”

“Let me get dressed.” Rory ran off.

“Hey, Lorelai,” Jess said quietly.

“Yes.”

“Don’t tell Rory about this but-” he handed her a thermos from under the counter.

“Oh you sweet angel.” She poured a cup of the hot nectar of the gods and inhaled it. “Jesus Mary and the camel that is good stuff.”

“Luke told me it was going to be a dry county.”

She quirked an eyebrow and teased him, “Are you drinking this on the sly?”

“Only in Philly.”

Lorelai inhaled the rest of the thermos in record time and the three Gilmore women went out strolling through town looking into little shops around Nantucket.

“Grandma could we kind of do Christmas, I don’t know a little big this year.”

“I don’t understand. How can we be a little big about it?” Emily asked.

“Well Jess and I were talking and I don’t think he’s had a real Christmas before so I thought we could do it up a little not too much. But you know make cookies, decorate a tree, some stuff like that.”

“Absolutely.” Emily smiled. “We can send the boys out to find a tree when we get back.”

“Thanks, Grandma.”

“I just want you to be happy my dear.”

Emily lost herself in her thoughts for a moment.

“Mom is something wrong?”

“I don’t want to dampen the moment but will you tell me who the father is?”

“Grandma I don’t want to keep secrets from you but you can’t tell anyone. Not even dad. Mom, Luke, and Jess know but no one else does.”

“I won’t discuss it with anyone. You have my word.”

“The baby is Logan’s.”

“Huntsberger?”

She nodded.

“You said that you told him?”

“Yes. Soon after I found out.”

“And he doesn’t want to be involved, that’s what he said?”

“He didn’t say anything. He said he had a meeting and had to go, asked me if it was his.”  Rory shook her head.

“Tell her the rest,” Lorelai said she knew what an Emily Gilmore with partial information was like.

“He showed up after a month with no word and asked me to go to London with him, but he was still engaged. I told him no, and that if he wanted to see the baby he could.”

“You think you know someone,” Emily mumbled. “Are you alright with that?”

“It hurts but I can handle it.”

“Of course you can you’re a Gilmore. How did Jess end up in all of this?”

Rory let out a breath “Complicated. He knew something was wrong so I told him. He let me crash with him because mom and Luke just got married. Small town gossip saw us leaving in the morning. They assumed Jess said let them.”

“You know Rory you have a good one.”

“I think so.”

“Do you think you two are moving a little fast?”

“Sometimes but then we’ve been friends for so long that it seems like it took us forever. Maybe the baby kind of pushed us together, but I love him I really do.”

“Well, as long as you’re happy.” Emily wrapped her arm around Rory.

Lorelai blurted out “Mom are you on something?”

“No, I am not on something.” Emily snapped.

“Sorry, you just are extremely mellow about your pregnant unmarried granddaughter.”

“I’ve had lots of practice.”

“Touché mom,” Lorelai said with a touch of pride at the dis. “I walked right into that one.”

“Rory,” A familiar voice called.

“Madelyn, how are you?” Rory rushed ahead to talk to her old classmate.

“I’m fantastic. Caught my husband with the tennis instructor and I’m getting everything.” Madelyn all but cooed

Rory was a bit dumbstruck “Well congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“Have you heard from Louise recently?”

“She’s coming to my party tonight. I didn’t know you’d be here. You should come there are some great guys up here.”

“Thanks but I’ve already got one.”

“More for me, bring him too. She dug out a card. Here text me your address later and I’ll send a car. Cocktail attire. Ta.” Madelyn ran off.

“Jess is never going to go to that,” Rory said.

“I’m sure he will.” Lorelai leaned in close to look at the card.

A funny expression came over Rory’s face “What is that?”

“What?” Her mother asked.

“You have coffee breath.”

Lorelai covered her mouth. “No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do. Where did you get it?”

“I’m not telling.” She pushed past at an almost run.

Rory whined, “Come on mom.”

“No.”

“You two are behaving like children.” Emily was exasperated but smiled anyway. She loved her girls.

*******

 

“When do we leave?” Jess asked fussing with his tie.

“Madelyn said she was sending a car for us,” Rory said sliding her shoes on. “You look nice, but lose the tie you hate it.

“Thanks. So do you just…” His eyes roamed over her.

“Just…”

“Are you ready for that dress?” Jess asked. Her lower stomach was protruding just enough to make her bump noticeable.

“Do I look fat?”

“No you look hot, but I think people will be able to tell.”

“Well, then they can tell.” It was a dark green, slim fitting dress with long sleeves. It wasn’t obviously sexy but it hugged her figure. “It’s the only dressy dress I had with me.”

“I like the bump.” He put his arms around her from behind and kissed her on the cheek. In heels, she was his height.

Lorelai bound down the hall “Rory the British are coming.”

“What?”

“I don’t know but there are horses outside.”

They opened the door to a carriage pulled by two black horses.

“That takes me back,” Jess said. “Two to a carriage rules.”

“Well, maybe we can sneak one more on,” Rory joked as Jess helped her up into the carriage.

Lorelai was snapping pictures as they got in.

Rory cuddled into his arms. He held her tight. They were not much on the PDA with her family around but Rory loved just being held by him.

“So what do you want for Christmas?” Rory asked.

“You.”

“You have me.”

“Not like in Philly,” Jess said.

“That’s because we never have privacy.”

“Should I come up with a work emergency and leave after Christmas?”

“Well, it could happen.”

 

Madelyn greeted the couple as soon as they walked in the door.

“Rory, hello and this is?”           

“Mine,” Rory said quickly.

Madelyn pouted “Spoil sport.”

“Madelyn this is Jess, Jess Madelyn.”

“Hi.” He handed his coat to the butler and helped Rory with hers.

“Oh he really is taken,” Madelyn said seeing Rory’s stomach. “Guess it’s not Mary anymore.”

“Not for quite some time thanks.”

“Mary?” Jess asked confused.

“Don’t ask explain later.”

“Rory here’s the old gang that I could get up here.”

 “Everyone this is Jess Mariano,” Rory introduced him. “Louise what are you up to?”

“I have my own cosmetics company.” Louise smiled, “What are you up to besides the obvious?

“Yes, I’m pregnant thanks. Not too much.” Rory shrugged.

“Rory doesn't be modest,” Jess pushed. “She just sold a book to a publisher.”

“That’s fantastic. You know writing is making a comeback.”

“So I hear, ” Rory said.

“Jes, what do you do?” One of the men Rory didn’t recognize asked.

“I write a little.”

“Now who’s modest? He’s an author and he owns a publishing house.” Rory was proud.

“Anything we’d have read?” He asked.

“I doubt it. The truncheon is small.”

“He wrote _The Subsect_. That’s my favorite.”

“You said your name is Mariano?”

“Yes, I doubt you’ll find it.”

Rory ignored let him push himself out of the spotlight. “Is Paris coming?”

“Oh no, she was shouting something about stairs and the nanny and the kids.”

Louise and Madelyn pulled Rory away “So when are you due?”

“I’m not a book.” She said somewhat offended.

“You know what I mean,” Louise stated.

“June.”

Louise and Madelyn shared a smile “Are you working on getting a ring out of that?”

“No, actually I said I don’t want to get married. There’s so much up in the air with the baby.”

“Well make sure you work on that,” Louise said. “You get way more if you’re married and break up with a kid than just dating.”

Madelyn’s eyes lit up “Plus if you get an engagement ring before baby you get a better push present after.”

Rory was now exhausted “I will keep that in mind. Thanks.”

“Anything to help.”

Jess shot her a look that screamed help, Rory came to his rescue. “It was so nice talking to you all again. We’re going to mingle.”

They rounded the edges of the room for another twenty minutes.

“I’m so tired and bored let’s get out of here.”

“God yes.” Jess nearly begged.

They said goodbye, got their coats and were out the door and back at Emily’s in record time.

“Were those your friends?” He asked.

“Madelyn and Louise I got through Paris the rest were just in classes with us. Lane was more my speed.”

After they opened and shut the front door Rory slipped off her shoes and turned to kiss Jess.

“I thought you were tired,” Jess mused.

“I was now I’m not.”

She pulled him into her room. “Can you get my necklace off for me and help me with the zipper?” He did and let his hand trail down her back. She shivered. Turning in his arms she kissed him slowly. They were quiet but for tonight they were together.

 

She knew he’d be gone in the morning. Even Jess wasn’t brave enough to get caught in Rory’s room at Emily’s home. He left her a note on the pillow. _Love you_.

“Love you too Jess,” Rory said into her pillow.


	13. Chapter 13

 “We’re going to have a festive Christmas Eve,” Emily declared. “Now Rory what should we do first?”

“The tree, I love decorating the tree.”

Emily was delighted to get to spend this time with her family.

She brought out what decorations she had. “You know I haven’t decorated a tree since I was young.”

“Why not grandma?”

“My mother liked it more formal, and after I was married it had to be just perfect to keep Trix off my back so I hired someone to do it.”

“That’s sad mom,” Lorelai said feeling badly for her mother.

“Nothing to be done now. Lorelai would you help me look for some more decorations, I think there may be some in the hall closet?”

“Sure mom.”

“So,” Jess asked, “what do we do first boss lady?”

“Since we have no lights yet tinsel.”

They each took a bag and started spilling strings of tinsel over the branches.

Jess watched Rory’s eyes shining like a child’s as she dropped the silver strings. He reached over and dripped tinsel on her head.

She looked a touch mad but more entertained. “Oh really.”  She threw some back at him.

“Stop it,” Jess said throwing a handful back at her.

She laughed, “you stop it.”

More of the tinsel was on them and the floor than the tree.

“Eh hem,” Emily coughed alerting the pair to her presence. They looked like children caught red handed waiting for their punishment.

“Whatever you can’t toss up on the tree cover with the tree skirt,” She walked away and they burst out laughing.

They cleaned the tinsel up and the entire family helped decorate the tree.

“Who puts the angel up this time?” Luke asked aware that his girls had weird habits about the tree.

“I think Jess,” Lorelai said trying to be nice.

“I think Emily should,” Jess said. “I get the tree at the store.”

“Agreed,” Rory said as she hugged her boyfriend.

“I’m touched,” Emily said. She stood on the step ladder and placed the angel on her Christmas tree for the first time since she was a child.

“Alright, Luke.”  Emily stepped away and Luke plugged in the tree.

It lit up beautifully in the dimming room and gave the room warmth it was lacking before.

Rory whispered to Jess “I know Truncheon does not have Christmas trees.”

“Shhh.” He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

“This is fun,” Emily said, “what’s next?”

“Let’s make cookies,” Rory beamed. She’d really caught the Christmas spirit.

An hour later there were cookies that Luke and Jess had made while the ladies watched.

“We can at least decorate them,” Lorelai huffed, “which is the most important part.”

Luke didn’t even try to argue, “of course it is.”

“Hey, it’s our first married Christmas together.” Lorelai smiled at him.

Luke returned her smile “I know.”

“So, whatcha get me?”

“Knitting needles and cooking lessons.”

“How dare you insult me on our first married Christmas Eve,” She pouted.

 “And yarn, otherwise the needles would be useless.”

“Come on be serious.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you,” He sighed resigned to tell her. “Nothing. I forgot.”

“You are mean.”

“Yeah, well you married me.” Luke teased her.

“I did.” Lorelai beamed at her husband and continued decorating her cookies.

“So are we going to leave some cookies for Santa?” Emily asked.

“Pshh No.” Lorelai seemed offended.

“Santa prefers gum,” Rory said.

“But they leave cookies for the reindeer,” Luke added not fazed by his wife’s oddities.

Emily looked between her granddaughter and daughter. “You are both strange little people,” she said flatly. 

He couldn’t help it Jess started laughing first, followed by Luke. Rory and Lorelai tried to look offended but they too succumbed to the laughter.

********

“It’s Christmas,” Rory yelled jumping onto Lorelai as she slept.

“God kid it’s so early.”

“Yeah, well payback for all those times you crawled into my bed on my birthday.”

“When that kid is old enough I’m paying you back for this.”

Luke smiled at his girls. Rory warned him she would attack her mother bright and early and he chose to stay in bed and wait with Lorelai.

He enjoyed the idea of having their kid, even if she was thirty-two, run in screaming for presents on Christmas.

Lorelai was not so enthused. “I need another hour.”

“Fine but Santa will hear about this!” Rory grumbled and ran off like a child.

Lorelai fell back to sleep immediately.

Rory snuck into Jess’s room and similarly jumped into his bed.

Without opening his eyes, he wrapped an arm around her and held her to the bed.

“No,” he mumbled.

“What do you mean no?” Rory asked with a huff.

Jess pulled the covers up over them. “Just what I said. No.”

“Everyone is up and waiting for you,” Rory pouted.

“What time is it?”

“Seven.”

“Your mom is not up at seven for presents. Go to sleep or read.”

“It is pretty comfy here.” Rory settled down into his pillows for a while but her mind raced.

After fifteen minutes Jess stood up with a huff and started getting dressed.

“What are you doing?” Rory asked.

“Seriously, I can hear your brain spinning,” Jess said as he pulled a shirt on. “I’m up let’s go.”

“Really.” Rory bounced out of the bed and he followed her.

They sat drinking hot chocolate while they waited for Lorelai to get up.

“I have something for you before everyone comes down.” Rory pulled out a box.

Jess lifted the lid.

“My laptop. That is a terrible gift.”

“Haha. Give it here.” Rory had it sleeping and opened up the pages she wanted and set it on the coffee table.

She pulled her phone out and waited.

“This is one boring gift.” Jess finally said.

“Hush. Technical difficulties can’t be helped sometimes.”

The computer started beeping.

“Showtime,” Rory said.

“Merry Christmas,” Liz said from the other side of the screen.

“Merry Christmas,” Rory and Jess said.

“She’s ready,” Liz said and moved the phone.

“Merry Christmas Jess,” Doulah shouted surrounded by a mountain of gifts.

“All right Doulah go for it,” T.J. told her. 

Like a hurricane, Doulah tore into her presents from Jess.

She pulled out books, cd’s of their favorite shared bands and some t-shirts to match along with some other knickknacks.

“Jessie, I love them,” Doulah screamed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Doul.”

She shoved her face as close to the camera as she could “I have presents for you too.”

“I’ll come over the second we get back.”

“Good. See you soon.”

“Bye everyone,” Liz hung up and Rory shut off the computer.

“You spoil her,” Rory said happily. 

Jess shrugged it off. “I’m supposed to.”

“Well, Doulah loves her big brother. And so do I.” Rory leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

They heard someone walking down the hall. “Is your mother still not up?” Emily asked.

Rory shook her head “Nope. I tried to wake her up but she refused to be moved.”

“I’m awake I’m awake,” Luke steered Lorelai towards the couch. “Give me presents and coffee.”

Luke walked into the kitchen and returned several minutes later with a large cup of coffee. “Here Merry Christmas.” Luke placed it in Lorelai’s hand.

She looked at him with pure adoration. “I don’t know if I’ve ever loved you more than this moment.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Present time,” Rory squealed.

“YEY,” Lorelai matched her childish sound.

“Goodness, you’d think you’re both children the way you act,” Emily admonished.

“They have a point,” Jess looked to Luke and the pair walked away and came back with bags filled with things for their Emily and Lorelai.

Lorelai was thrilled with her coffee flavored everything, candles, chocolate, gum, and a shirt that read _Coffee Coffee Coffee,_ with _Espresso Yourself_ written on the back.

Emily received a more refined set of gifts from the boys. A series of books Rory recommended a few comfort items that Lorelai knew her mother would like. “Thank you both.”

Emily asked, “Jess didn’t you get something for Rory?”

“I did,” He handed Rory an envelope.

“Oh, exciting.” She pulled out a note and read “In a room you never go is the answer to something you wish to know. Huh?”

Jess looked disinterested “Sounds like a riddle to me.”

“That’s not that hard.” She went around the house looking for a new clue she found it in a spare room no one ever used.

“Where all your dreams begin. Got it the library?” She darted out of the room. “Shoot there isn’t one here.”

“Not so easy now is it?” Jess mocked.

“Ha.” She ran into her bedroom and found the next envelope. “Where we gather most, favorite room of your host.”

Rory ran out to the living room only to find everyone gone.

“Hello?” No one answered. “Getting a little _Twilight Zone_ in here.”

She started opening doors and found no one. She rounded the corner and found a bunch of lights surrounding one door. That had not been there this morning. She went in.

Rory found a beautiful white crib with white linens. It was a little extravagant but pretty. And inside was a tiny ornament of a gingerbread house on top of the last letter.

_Got it._

She turned around to find Jess standing with his hands in his pockets.

“What is this?” She asked.

“We got it.”

“We got….?”

Jess nodded towards the ornament in her hands. “A gingerbread house. Oh my God, we got the house?”

“Yeah,” Jess smiled.

“Jess.” She squealed and launched herself into his arms. “This is all so much.”

“Well the ornament and the letters were my idea; the crib was your grandmas.”

“Grandma, how did she get in on this?”

“She caught me on the phone saying not to tell Rory and she got suspicious. So I had to tell her about the house.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she hugged him as they walked out.

“You softie.”

“Hey.” Jess jokingly snapped at her.

“You’re a softie,” she couldn’t stop smiling. “Here I am trying to make this the best Christmas for you and then you pull this.”

“I’ve got you, it’s the best one ever.”

 


	14. January

In a whirlwind of a few weeks Jess and Rory had picked out most of their furniture and boxed up Jess’s entire apartment and they were essentially moved in.

Emily walked through the house perused the boxes and the next day three large floor to Ceiling bookcases arrived and were installed.

On their first night, Rory searched the boxes. “Jess, where are my clothes?”

“I don’t know. Do you need them?

My clothes yeah I think you need them.”

“No, you don’t.”

Rory opened an unlabeled box that had some of Jess’s things. “Hey, what’s this?”

He glanced over her shoulder and tried to take it. “Nothing, just give it here.”

Rory wouldn’t let it go. “Jess.”

“Like I said it’s nothing.”

“When did you get your GED?”

“A few years ago. After we got Truncheon up and running and there were five minutes to breathe.” He tried to shrug it off.

“I’m putting this on the…” Rory glanced around the room. There was no mantel and the bookshelves were filled first. “Somewhere important when we have things fixed. And it _is_ a big deal.”

She placed it nicely on the one table they had cleared. 

“Perfect. Now help me find my box of clothes. How did I lose them in three blocks?”

“I think this all a ploy to get me to go shopping.”

“Not helping.” Rory tugged at her shirt that was rolling up over her stomach, “although not entirely a bad suggestion.”

He grabbed her from behind and picked her up and half carried half walked her into their room as she squealed.

“I guess I really don’t need my clothes.”

“See you should listen to me.” 

Rory woke in the middle of the night Jess talking to her stomach. She pretended to be asleep.

“I’m going to be your dad. I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m going to love you and your mom. And no matter what I’m never going to leave you.”

Rory forced herself not to smile.

God she loved him.

*********

With the mild winter, construction was being finalized on the Dragonfly’s sister Inn, Lorelai left many of the day to day decisions up Michele bearing in mind that all materials had to be approved. No way was she going to have $3000 a square foot tile installed because Jenifer Lopez’s bodyguard had it in his home.

Rory took on interns through a school program with Stars Hollow High, which took over a good deal of her work with the Gazette. Since Ester and Charlie rarely stopped filing or sleeping.

Her stomach was rounding out and she was very tired all the time. The doctor was still cautious over her blood pressure but not alarmed.

Rory would run to Luke’s apartment and write while the house was in chaos and they’d collapse on the couch in the evenings.  Jess would sometimes read to her. She finished her book with her graduation and leaving after college and sent it off. She wanted it to end with hope.

Before she was done she could see more books one about the town and people. The moment she finished _Gilmore Girls_ , a dozen more stories popped into her head. So she wrote those down too.

Rory was happy. Really happy.

*******

“Are you sure there should be this many pieces?” Jess asked.

“Yes…I think.” Luke stared angrily at the parts that now didn’t seem to go together.

 “How’s it coming?” Lorelai popped her head into the baby’s room to see all the pieces of the crib scattered around the floor.

“Fine.” Both men snapped in unison.

“Okay.” Lorelai retreated to the kitchen. “Mom just in case can Burta’s husband fix it if they lose pieces?”

“Oh yes, he’s a wiz at fixing things.”

Muffled cursing came from the room.

“You know your father was just the same. When I was expecting you he tried to put that crib together too.” Emily reminisced. 

“That’s sweet of him to do that.” Lorelai smiled.

“Sweet but impractical, he spent hours working on it and there were so many screws and things in the box I called the handyman when Richard was working to fix it.”

“Grandma that’s so deceitful,” Rory admonished.

“Perhaps, but all the crib held together. I swear I thought if I put a blanket in it the thing would collapse.”

The ladies had a nice visit looking at baby things online and picking out needed things over clutter.

After a very long time and many donuts, Jess and Luke emerged from the room with the crib completed.

“That kid is sleeping in that till it goes to college,” Luke said.

“I’ll be sure to tell it so when it comes out,” Rory replied.

Lorelai not one to be left out of a joke chimed in, “Especially since it’s probably going to be a tall kid I guess we can carve out sections so the legs and feet will fit.”

“So what will the names be?” Emily asked.

“Oh, we haven’t found any we like enough to be contenders grandma.”

“No dear, I meant for the newlyweds. Tell me Lorelai will it be Grandma, Nana, Grammy?”

“You’re loving this aren’t you?” Lorelai sneered at her mother.

Emily smiled without a hint of sarcasm, “Immensely.”


	15. Valentine’s Day

Jess knew he couldn’t hide the newspaper so he didn’t try. She’d find out eventually she might as well find it while she was hidden away in the house.  Rory came out of their room and sat at the table. 

She opened her paper with an “Oh. I’m surprised they waited so long to get married.” She continued reading the rest of her paper as was her routine.

When she finished reading, she stared out the window for a while.

“Hey Jess, I was thinking about this so I thought I’d ask, what do you want?”

Jess shook his head not understanding, they’d discussed this months before. “What do I want?”

“Yeah a boy or a girl, and don’t say whatever if you could pick then what would you want?”

“Oh, that’s easy a girl.” He didn’t look at her, still a bit unused to sharing his emotions.

Rory’s heart burst “Really? You want a girl.”

“Yeah, can you imagine trying to raise a little me?”

“Were you bad?”

“Since the day I said I didn’t like my Teddy.”

“What a guy." Rory paused, "I’m going to say all names from that movie are out. ”

"Aw and here I wanted to name it Riff-Raff. So what about you?”

Rory looked at the table.

“Rory.”

“I’m scared if it’s a boy he might want it just because it’s a boy. You know some kind of legacy baby.”

“Rory. It’s ours, you’ve made it easy to find you he hasn’t. Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter. It is our baby.”

“Jess I love you.”

“I love you too, both of you.”

“I know you do. I wish we knew what it was.” At her last ultrasound, the baby was in the wrong position so it was still an it.

“Well, he or she wants to keep an air of mystery.”

Rory put her hands over her stomach “Should we call it something other than it?”

“What should we call it if we don’t know what it is? Pennywise?”

“Jess, now I’m going to have clown nightmares.”

“I’ll scare them away for you.”

“What time are we meeting my mom?”

He shrugged “Whenever.”

“Well let me get myself together and we can go.”

 

They went to the Invitational opening of the Cornflower Luxury Suites for lunch. This was Michele’s baby for the time being.

“Ah the little mother, sit sit. Michele pulled Rory’s chair out. The house special will be out shortly.”

“What is the house special?” Jess asked.

“I don’t know it’s healthy just eat it, burgers back at Luke’s in 2 hours,” Lorelai said in a hushed tone. “Michele it looks perfect.”

“Well fancy running into you here.” Rory froze and paled.

Mitchum Huntsberger.

Mitchum had that way of making you feel small and blessed to be in his company. “How lovely to see you all.”

“I didn’t realize you were on the guest list for the preview,” Lorelai said flatly.

He leaned in closely “Listen Rory, how much is it going to take to make this go away?”

“Go away?” It took her a second longer to realize what he meant. She was horrified.

“You will not disrupt my son’s future.”

Jess spoke very clearly with an edge. “Well it’s not his baby it’s mine so get out.”

“He said it was his.”

“Well, he’s wrong.” Jess glared at the man.

“She got her claws into you too.”

“Mitchum just leave,” Rory begged.

Michele came back furious. “Leave my hotel now.”

“She’s just a cheap whore.” Michele had to restrain Jess as he jumped up and still almost lost his grip. Mitchum smiled at the chaos he’d created and added one parting shot.

“Just like her mother.”

It happened so fast.

Luke stood and belted Mitchum in the face and knocked him to the ground.

Michele grabbed him by the collar, dragging him to the door and throwing him out. He told the desk staff “If he comes back call the police. Then call the papers and say he was causing a brawl.”

Rory was shaking. Lorelai put her hand on Lukes' arm trying to calm him down.

“Rory, it’s fine now he is gone.” Michele tried to soothe her.

She couldn’t catch her breath.

“No something’s wrong. It hurts. Mom.”

Lorelai yelled “Michele call and ambulance.”

******

The ambulance ride made Rory panic more.

“It’s going to be alright honey.”

“I wish Jess was here.”

“I know honey but he’s just behind us. He and Luke will be waiting to take us out for burgers just as soon as the doctor sends us home. It’s all fine.”

Lorelai could lie with the best of them. 

They burst through the emergency room doors and Lorelai had to wait. A minute later Luke and Jess were with her. Jess was shaking.

“Rory Gilmore family this way please.”

They followed the nurse to a room. She’s sedated right now and the doctor will be in shortly.

Lorelai sat on one side and Jess on the other.

Luke didn’t know who to comfort first.

The doctor came in. “Hi, I’m doctor Burnell. I spoke with her OB and her blood pressure did skyrocket. We’re going to keep her sedated until it goes down and keep an eye on things.”

“And the baby?” Jess asked.

“We’re watching. Currently, it’s fine. But I’m sorry we won’t know the next twenty-four hours are critical.”

Lorelai looked at Jess. He was pale and rigid with a haunted look in his eyes.  She gestured to Luke.

“Hey I’m going to get some coffee, Jess come with me.”

“I’m not leaving her.”

“Jess you heard the doctor it’s going to be hours.” Lorelai spoke softly “take a walk.”

He grudgingly went with Luke.

They only got a few feet out when they saw Logan walking down the hall.

“You can’t be here. You need to leave.” Luke said.

“I heard what happened, I went to the Inn.”

“Where have you been the last 3 months?” Jess snapped.

Luke tried to be level-headed as much as he was also angry. “She’s unconscious if you want to talk come back tomorrow she might be awake then.”

“I’m only here today.”

Lorelai saw him through the door, she came running out. “You did this. My daughter is hooked up to tubes and monitors; she could lose the baby because of you.” Lorelai cried, “You’ve had months to talk to her, but you tell your rich daddy and he screams her into the hospital.”

“I didn’t know she was sick.” Logan pleaded.

“Because you haven’t called or checked on her. Rory was fine until he showed up. If she loses the baby it is entirely your fault. And if she’s okay in the end you still put her here. Do us all a favor and go back to your wife.”

Luke put his hand on Lorelai’s shoulder looking at Logan. “Walk away.”

“I did love her,” Logan said softly.

“Sometimes that’s not good enough,” Lorelai snapped and went back to her daughter.

Jess spoke to Luke “I need to take a walk call me if she wakes up first.”

He ran down the hall towards the elevator. “Huntsburger.”

Jess had to restrain himself because what he really wanted to do was hit him. For every single time he’d messed up Rory’s life. “We need to talk.” They got in the elevator. “Does your wife know?”

“No.”

“And she’d be pretty upset if she knew.”

Logan locked eyes with Jess, “Are you threatening me?”

“Let’s call it like it is. Rory had a dad who bounced in and out of her life. Hell mine disappeared when I was two. Kids can’t have sometimes parents. Let them go if that’s all you’re going to be.”

“What do you suggest?”

“I have a proposition for you.”

****

He watched Logan drive away and pulled out his phone.

“Emily this is Jess.”

“Hello Jess, what can I do for you?”

“Rory is in the hospital and I think you should be here. I can drive up to get you if you’d like or maybe Luke can.”

“No, hold on.”

Jess could hear her yelling for the maid to get the car.

“What happened?”

“She got upset and started having pain and we brought her to the hospital. They sedated her so she’s asleep now.”

“Upset how? Who was yelling at a pregnant girl to make her that upset?”

“It was someone she knew.” He lied not wanting to get into it over the phone.

An hour later Jess stood outside the valet booth waiting for Emily.

She parked the car not bothering to shut the door.

Jess stepped out. “She’s in the north wing.”

“I need to pay.”

“I took care of it.” 

They rushed into the elevator.

“Is Rory that bad?”

“We think she’s fine but we don’t know yet. With the baby we have to wait and see. She’s still sedated.”

“Then why the rush? She’s a young healthy girl. She will be fine.” Emily declared it like her saying it made it true.

“I think Lorelai needs you more.”

 

Lorelai was pale. She held her unconscious daughter’s hand not hearing or seeing anyone else.

“She’s in here.”

“Lorelai.”

“Mom?”

Luke stood. “We’ll give you some time.”

Emily moved closer to the bed and Lorelai hugged her for something to hold onto.

“What happened?”

“Mitchum Huntsbuger.” Lorelai bit out. “Logan told him about the baby and he paid us a little visit. He started screaming at her, he wouldn’t leave. Michele threw him out. A minute later she was grabbing her stomach. It was her blood pressure.”

“Jess said it was someone that she knew he didn’t say it was Mitchum.”

“He probably didn’t know how much to say? God mom she looks so small and pale.”

“So do you.”

“What are we going to do if it’s not okay, if she loses it? She’s had such a bad year; I don’t know how she’d get over it.”

“You don’t. You can’t get over it, but if she loses this baby she can get through it. It’s not impossible, but it will feel like it.”

“Mom?” Lorelai’s eyes were filled with tears.

“I lost a baby before you were born. It was early yet but it hurt quite a lot. I was so worried with you but you were fine. I often look at you and wonder what would it have been like? A boy or a girl, tall like you and your father or smaller like me?”

“You never said anything.”

“I never told you, never told anyone.”

“I’m so sorry mom.”

“It was a long time ago. What did the doctors say?”

“That they have to get her blood pressure down and keep her calm when she does come off the meds. All we can do is wait and see.”

“Then we’ll wait.” She took her daughter’s free hand.

*****

Luke found Jess pacing in a dim waiting room.

“What are you doing down here?”

“Thinking. I can’t lose her Luke. If she’s not okay...” He started to cry.

Jess never cried. He’d learned not to over the years of being picked on or beaten up by bigger classmates, or Liz’s old boyfriends.

Luke grabbed him and hugged him.

“Now you listen here, she is going to be fine. She is strong and so is that baby. You let it out here and then you go back in there and you be there. I got you.”


	16. Chapter 16

After that Jess never left her side. Rory was kept sedated until the next morning when she gradually woke up she was nauseous and had a headache.

Jess had fallen asleep in the chair and so had her mom.

Luke walked in bringing coffee with Emily. “Hey, how you feeling?”

“Terrible,” she said hoarsely.

“I’ll go get a nurse.”

“Grandma, what are you doing here?”

“Jess called me, I’m glad he did. Now you stay right like that until the doctor checks you out.”

“How is the baby?” Rory whispered.

“Hi Rory, you gave everyone a scare. Now let’s look at these vitals.”

“What happened?”

“You had an attack yesterday. Everything looks good but I need you to stay here for another day or two and then complete bed rest for at least a week.”

 

 

For a temporary care team, the couple moved back to Luke and Lorelai’s. Several days of bed rest only made Rory listless and cranky.

Rory woke late one morning to her mother bringing in breakfast.

“Where’s Jess?” Rory rubbed her eyes.

“He needed some sleep.” Lorelai half whispered.

“He go back to our place?”

Lorelai pointed to the other side of the bed. Jess was sleeping in Luke’s sleeping bag on the floor.

She looked to her mother with large frustrated eyes. “Make him go home.”

“Would that I could Sweets. Trust me the sleeping bag was the only way to get him down. Don’t worry I have blackmail photo’s for later.”

“Thanks.”

“The doctor will be by to see you soon.”

“Who makes house calls?”

“Where is she?” A familiar voice yelled at whoever was unlucky enough to answer the door, or she broke in and was yelling at the house.

“Oh no.” Rory dropped her toast.

“I leave you with these people and you end up in the hospital.” Paris kicked a still sleeping Jess. “Move I’m working.”

“What is your damage?” He crawled out of the bag.

“You’re in my way.”

“You know she needs to stay relaxed.” Jess groused.

“Yeah and you went to what med school. Thank you. Now out.”

Jess stumbled into the kitchen with Lorelai.

“They gave her a license to practice medicine? On people?”

“I think they were too scared not too.” Lorelai handed Jess a mug of coffee.

“You can come in now. Her doctor was right. She needs to stay on bed rest another week.”

“Oh come on,” Rory complained.

Paris spoke softly like she did with her own daughter “Rory you really came close to losing it. Now do you want to do what you’re told or go back to the hospital?”

She pouted. “Fine.”

“There’s a champ.” Paris patted her on the shoulder.

“I’ll leave this pressure cup here take it ever few hours and if it goes over either of these numbers call me. If I don’t answer if five minutes take her back to the hospital. See you tomorrow.”

“I hate sitting here.”

“You have to,” Jess stated the obvious.

“I will if you go home and sleep.”

“I can’t sleep there it’s too quiet.”

“Well that’s sickening,” Lorelai fake gagged. “Honey we are going to try to make this as painless as possible but you need to relax and stay in bed. We are your servants until you get the all clear.”

******

Rory was cranky.

One week of bed rest became three and she was never an idle slouch. She had too much energy. She’d joined Pinterest, read until she was sick of reading, binge-watched shows until she couldn’t keep the stories straight and she wrote.

“Jess, go home,” she snapped one afternoon. “You don’t need to be here every waking minute.”

“What do you want me to do? You’re sick, your mom can’t be here all the time. I can work from anywhere.”

“Do something.”

“I am doing something.” Jess loved her but he was also tired of the constant attitude.

Lorelai walked in the back door just then. “Hey, guys I brought lunch.”

“See she’s home now go somewhere else.”

“Like?”

“I don’t care just leave,” Rory shouted.

“Alright.” Jess calmly got up and walked outside.

She heard the car pull away and she began to cry.

“Mom.”

“Honey. I know the hormones are kicking your ass right now and you hate being stuck but don’t take it out on him. I know he said he’d be here for you but remember he doesn’t have to be.”

“I know and it’s driving me crazy.”

“No, the being stuck is driving you crazy.” Lorelai rubbed her back.

“I kicked him out do you think he’s gone.”

“No, I don’t think he’s gone. He’ll come back when he thinks the demon in you is gone.”

Rory worried for half an hour until a car pulled up and someone walked inside. “Jess.”

“No it’s me but this is from Jess.” Lane plopped some bags of snacks on the bed. “He was at Dooses and asked me to bring you this.”

“Is he mad?”

“No, he seemed fine. But he did offer to watch the boys so he might have mental problems. He thought I could give you some cranky bed rest support.”

“I remember you were miserable.”

Lane remembered. “It’s tough and a huge pain but you’ll get past it. The end result is pretty worth it.”

“I’m not being whisked to a baby shower in my bed.”

“Well duh there’s no rollers on this one,” Lane teased. “They’ll put up with you to an extent but then you’ll feel guilty later so try to be nicer.”

“That’s all the advice you got?”

“No, stay in bed. Binge watch tv or sleep. You’re a writer write a blog or something.” Lane leaned over and hugged Rory.

“Now there’s an idea.”

“I have to get back the boys are expecting a play date with some kids from school.”

 

Twenty minutes later Rory heard a car pull up.

“Jess.” She called.

He stomped into the kitchen. Rory heard the fridge open and slam.

“You seem chipper.” Lorelai joked from the table.

Jess said nothing and walked into Rory’s room holding a beer. He looked at her with something between terror and anger and pointed at her stomach. “That better be better be alone or it better be girls.”

“What?”

“No boys. That’s it.”

Rory failed to bite back a smile “So Steve and Quan?”

“Are insane. There were trying to break into the shed because it’s where Zach keeps the firecrackers. I sent them to their room and they tried to climb down the trellis. Then there were like five others running in the house and I don’t know how they got there and….” He sat down at the foot of her bed.

Jess looked a lot more haggard than when he’d left. Rory laughed until tears rimmed her eyes.

“I’m sorry but those are such Jess things to do.”

He was not as amused but was glad Rory was at least in a better mood.

When Rory calmed down she apologized. “Jess, I’m sorry. I’m crazy and moody and I didn’t mean get out I meant to go out and do something, not me related.”

“Oh I did that and I’m going to have nightmares about it.” He took a long drink of his beer. “Hey, Ror.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you promise me something?”

“What is it?”

“Promise me it’s not twins.”

Rory started laughing all over again.

******

It was very late or very early depending on how you looked at it.

In week four of the confinement Jess stumbled out into the kitchen when he heard someone walking around.

“Lorelai can I talk to you?”

“Sure Jess what’s on your mind?”

“I did something and I don’t know how to tell Rory.”

 Lorelai had done this dance of careful advice with Rory, Paris, April, once with Dean even which didn’t end well. But she was not prepared for whatever something a thirty-three year old man needed advice for.

Especially when it came to her daughter.

She put the coffee pot on and pulled out the stash hidden from Luke.

Lorelai took a deep breath in and let it out.

“What did you do?”

“At the hospital, I talked to Logan and suggested give up the baby. He hasn’t told his wife.”

“Oh boy.” Lorelai didn’t speak as she thought on it. “Don’t worry about it, people say things all the time. I mean Rory might be a little irritated that you said it. Logan doesn’t love you so chances are he might never mention talking to you. Plus he’s been so chatty since November.” Lorelai expected that to be the end of it and stood to start back to bed.

“He did it.”

“What?” Her legs went out from under it.

“His lawyer mailed me the papers.”

“Why you?”

“I don’t know, but he did and…”

All the energy had gone from her. “Oh boy. I bet his father had something to do with it.”

“He’s an adult no one could have forced him.”

“Well I’m not sleeping now, would you like some coffee?”

“No thanks.”

“Pop tart, ice cream? Don’t leave me in a crisis alone here.”

Jess realized the offer was about more than just food “What kind of Pop tarts?”

“Chocolate and strawberry.”

“Let’s go for broke.”

Lorelai pulled both boxes out of the cabinet as she poured a cup.

“I know I’m the mom but don’t know what to do here.”

“Emily has lawyers, should they look it over first?”

“That’s avoiding the issue but not a bad idea.”

“I just don’t get it. How he could give up his kid?”

“Trust me it happens. You know that, though.”

“How could he give up her?”

“You did once upon a time.”

“I was flunking out of school and she was going to Yale. I didn’t her having to drag along the high school dropout boyfriend.”

“You _were_ quite the mess.”

“Were. You don’t think so anymore? You used to hate me.”

“It’s because you were oh so charming when I first met you. And no you’ve come a very long way. Remember what you acted like when you first got here, would you want your only daughter dating a boy like you were then?”

“Point taken. So what are we going to do about this?”

“We have to tell her, but not yet. She needs to rest. I’ll call her doctor after I talk to the lawyer. We’ll go from there.”

They sat together thinking back on their own similar situations in an easy silence.

“Is this our only civil conversation?” Jess asked.

“It’s been a long week I’m sure it won’t last long after we get some sleep.”


	17. March

Rory was finally released to restricted activities.

Paris and Lane threw a baby shower which left Rory in Awe at how Lane could command Paris around a room.

Rory sat watching the whole thing unfold.

She asked, “Did you ever think of being a drill sergeant?”

“I learned from the best. Mama.”

“Right here, Lane. You boys hang that a quarter of an inch higher.” Mrs. Kim yelled at the boys roped into helping by Miss Patty.  

“She said a quarter of an inch you idiots, not a half inch. I’ll handle it.” Paris griped.

Rory put her feet up. There was something satisfying to sitting around while other people did work.

Jess dropped off food and ran away before he was yelled at or pushed into helping.

“So where’s daddy dearest?” Lane took a break with her best friend.

“Luke _supposedly_ needed help in the diner.”

“You don’t believe him.”

Rory half laughed “Half the town is going to be here, so how busy is it really going to be?”

“Thinking like a mom already.”

“He’ll be back to help with the haul.”

“Does he have a forklift?”

“Is it going to be that much?”

“All I know is Zach and Brian were unloading for hours.”

“Oh boy.”

******

It took Jess four hours of loading and unloading boxes the next afternoon with Luke’s truck until everything was safely in the house. Rory sorted and organized it meticulously.

Lorelai caught him on his way in with the last batch.

“The lawyers went through this with a microscope. It’s legit. Absolutely no parental rights, there’s nothing to do it’s already been processed and approved.”

“We have to tell her. It’s been weeks already.”

Lorelai nodded, “Do you want me to do it?”

“No, let me get this inside first.”

Lorelai helped him with the boxes and Rory came out of the baby’s room. “That it?” She asked.

“That it she asks,” Jess looked at Lorelai, “like there’s not enough stuff in this house to reach New York.”

“Where should I drop this?”

“Kitchen only spot left with room.”

Lorelai stayed hidden in the kitchen.

“Hey, Rory, we need to talk.”

“Okay.” The phrase made her start to panic.

“You should sit down.” Jess motioned to the couch.

“Cryptic much?”

“Lorelai and I got some papers from Logan. Well, I got them but she took them to some lawyers to have them checked out.”

They both spoke at the same time.

“He can’t have it.”

“He signed over his parental rights.”

She closed her eyes and let out a breath, taking in what she’d heard.

“I thought they were going to try to take it.” Rory buried her face in her hands, “Like Odette can’t have any kids or something so he’s going to steal it away from me.”  

“You still thinking about that?”

“Problem with bed rest all you can do is think.”

“You didn’t say anything.”

“It’s kind of just in the back of my mind.”

“So you’re not angry.”

“Yes. I mean I hoped he’d want to be around for the baby later,” she looked sad, “but he didn’t want to be. It’s better this way.” Tears filled her eyes.

“Rory.”

“No, I swear I’m fine it’s just the damn hormones.”

“Do you want your mom?”

“Yeah.” Rory wiped her eyes, “I’m so mature. Expecting a baby and I need my mommy.”

“Lorelai,” Jess called.

Lorelai came out and held her for a few minutes while Jess disappeared.

Jess returned with popcorn and pop tarts completely ignoring them set it on the table, turned on Netflix to Willie Wonka and walked back to their bedroom. 

“Wow, you have him so well trained.”

“He notices stuff.”

*******

They’d done the drama.

The crazy, teen angst, family drama, leaving, popping in at bad times, that had been Jess’s fault.

Loving other people, that had been Rory’s.

The worry over the last month about both the baby and Rory. That was Logan’s. Jess thought that one took the greatest toll on them. 

So moments like this were the best in Jess’s life.

They’d settled into a nightly routine. Usually, Jess would stretch out on the couch reading at the end of the day.  Rory would come and sit with him to read or write. He’d often stop reading and watch her. She’d change into leggings or yoga pants and an oversized shirt, usually his stolen sweatshirt. He liked when she stole his shirts and walked around their home like that.

Every night was pretty much the same. He wasn’t sure if Rory was even aware that she did it.

If she sat on the couch with him she’d sit as far as she could on the left side. She’d start working or reading then shift slightly. Then a little more. She’d move off and on until she ended up with her back resting on his chest. Usually, Jess would put his book down and rest his hand on her stomach. Tonight he kept reading.

“Oh,” Rory said in surprise.

Jess was immediately worried. “What’s wrong?”

“I think it kicked.”

“What?”

“Here. She grabbed his hand and held it to her stomach.”

Jess stopped breathing. He felt the drumming from inside her stomach until it stopped.

“I’ve never felt it like that before,” Rory said before casually returning to her book. 

Jess was done.

That was it.

If he hadn’t been in this before he was now.


	18. Labor Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This section, LOTS of swearing so if that bothers you, well I warned you.

 

Rory’s blood pressure stabilized finally.  They chose not to find out the baby’s gender.

She edited her book with Jess’s help and he worked on his own projects when he found the time.

Her mother and Luke were in Nantucket for the Holiday and Rory and Jess planned to spend the weekend at the Summer Festival.

Jess got her an elephant ear and cotton candy.

She was wandering around looking at all the colorful booths. They were generally the same as the ones from a year before with very little changed, but that’s why she loved it.

Jess was talking with Zach as Rory browsed.

“Oh my god,” Rory grabbed her stomach. “Ow.”

“Rory, do you need to go to the hospital?”

Large blue eyes looked at him in fear. “I think my water just broke.”

************

 

“Can we get some help here?” Jess screamed as he carried Rory into the ER

“God I thought movies were lying but they weren’t.” She cried.

They wheeled her in a gurney to the maternity floor.

Jess was left waiting outside and called Lorelai who was already on the way.

“Where’s my mom?”

“She’s driving in from your Grandma’s.”

“I can’t do this alone.”

“You won’t I’m here.”

Another contraction hit.

“I know but frankly you have not pushed a person out of you so I don’t know how much insight you’re going to have.”

He held her hand. “She’ll be here don’t worry.”

 Rory tried to talk herself down. “It’ll be hours, no rush. Damn this hurts.” Rory screamed.

The doctor on staff came in and examined her, “You’re pretty far along here it won’t be long.”

“What do you mean? The contractions just started what an hour ago?” Rory asked angrily.

“I’m sorry dear but this is going to be a lot faster than a normal delivery.”

“That’s good right?” Jess asked.

“I’m sorry but it’s going to hurt a lot more. Your body gets all the pain just not spread out.”

“Fan-freaken-tastic.”

A nurse walked in far too chipper for Rory’s current pain level. “We can’t reach your OB so we don’t have your birth plan are you going to want pain medication?”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Of course, I want pain medication. Do I look like I want to be in this much pain?” The nurse ran out of the room.

“Jess, get Paris on the phone NOW!”

Jess did, he would have found it funny how much she was swearing and how angry she was if he wasn’t also terrified.

“Paris it’s Jess hold on.” He handed Rory the phone.

“Paris. These stupid doctors are telling me that I’m going to have a short labor and it’s going to hurt more. They can’t get ahold of my doctor because it’s a holiday weekend. What can you do for me? Right okay. Shit really. Thanks.”

“So?”

“She’s coming here but she’s also calling the staff to tell them what to do.”

 

Two hours later….

Paris was instructing everyone in the room.

“Showtime Rory you need to push.”

“No, my mom isn’t here.”

“Honey, you have to.” The same nurse from earlier said. 

“Don’t fucking call me honey.”

“Get out of my sight. Can’t you see you’re upsetting her,” Paris barked and the nurse left.

“Rory it’s time you have to push now.”

Lorelai ran in yelling.  “I’m here I’m here.”

Jess began to leave “I’ll go out with Luke.”

“Jess please don’t go,” Rory cried reaching for him.

“I’m right here.” He held her hand and wrapped an arm around her back.

Rory started to push.

“Who the fucking hell came up with this?

“There’s my girl.” Lorelai smiled remembering her own language during Rory’s birth.

“I thought the drugs meant I couldn’t feel anything.”

Rory flopped back on the bed.

“I can’t do this.”

“Rory yes you can.” Her mother urged.

“Just breathe through the pain,” Someone else said.

“Shut the hell up.”

Jess kissed the top of her head.

“I love you.”

“Thank you, I’m sure I love you too when I’m not being ripped apart.”

 “Rory push and it will be over soon,” Paris said. “I’ve got the top of the head.”

“Get it out of me,” Rory cried.

“One or two more I swear.”

With one more push Paris held the crying baby in her arms.

“7:33 pm,” Paris said. “Hey, Daddy would you like to cut the cord?”

Jess stayed close to Rory but reached for the scissors.

****

Luke and Emily sat in the waiting room impatiently.

“Do you know what she’s going to name it?” Emily asked.

“No idea. We suggested some names but with everything going on I don’t know how much she thought about it.”

“I’m just curious what did you suggest?”

“I said William for a boy, Lorelai said Betty Belinda.”

“I hope you put a stop to that?”

“It was better than Buttercup Flower.”

Emily looked horrified “You’re joking.”

“I think you know your daughter well enough to know the answer to that.”

“William is a nice name.”

“It was my father’s name. I thought William Richard or Richard William. Either way, it was a good name.”

“It is a good strong name either way.”

“Uncle Luke,” Jess shouted running into the waiting room smiling. Both jumped their feet. “It’s a girl, she’s perfect.”He hugged Luke.

“Hi Mrs. Gilmore,” he hugged her too. “She’s beautiful. I gotta go.” He ran back into the delivery room. 

“I have never in my life seen that kid smile like that.” Luke smiled.

“I think that boy will make a great father.” Emily proudly watched him run back behind the doors.  

“You think.”

“He learned from you, and Rory is pretty great.”

*****

By the time he came back baby girl Gilmore was cleaned up and her grandmother held her.

“Jess do you want to hold her?” Lorelai asked already completely in love with her granddaughter.

“I can’t.”

“Nonsense. Yes, you’d like to say hello to your daddy wouldn’t you sweetheart?” Lorelai placed the baby in his arms. “Now hold this arm here and wrap this one around her like this. There you’re a natural.”

Jess stared down at the baby who couldn’t even open her eyes yet with her little hands smaller than his thumb, and he was gone.

Rory was exhausted the delivery was incredibly fast and incredibly painful. “Is she okay?”

“She’s perfect,” Jess answered.

He studied their daughter, a word he was having a hard time grasping. A head full of brown hair covered her tiny head, her face was pink all over. Jess had never seen something so small in his life. She chose that moment that moment to open her eyes. The same blue eyes that her mother had that captured his heart sixteen years before stole his hear again.

“We’re in trouble,” Jess said smiling.

“Why?”

“Because she’s too beautiful. She has your eyes.”

Jess placed her in Rory’s arms. “She’s so small.”

“So Mom, come up with a full name yet?” Jess teased her.

“I’m a Mom,” Rory smiled reaching for Jess’s hand, “and you’re a Dad.”

“Rory I think we passed that bridge way back.”

“I love you.”

Jess just kissed her.

Lorelai watched the scene before leaving the new little family.


	19. What's in a Name?

After Rory had a chance to rest up Lorelai gathered the group into Rory’s room. Including Lane and Zach.

“So everyone we’re going to introduce the little lady so everyone crowd in.”

“This is probably against the rules,” Luke said to his wife.

“Yeah but who in this hospital is going to tell Paris what her best friend can or can’t do?”

“Do we have everyone?” Rory asked.

Jess beamed at his new little girl “If it was a boy he would have been Richard Lucas, but as she is a girl.”

“Betty Belinda,” Lorelai gasped.

“No.” Jess groaned having already vetoed that a month before.

“Purple Rain, Jane Austen, Sleepy Jean, Schmoopie, Butter, Corky.”

“Mom.”

“Stopping.”

“We didn’t choose any names of friends because as great as it would be to have a little Lane or Paris running around someone’s feelings would get hurt.”

“So Jess and I agreed on her first name, but we couldn’t pick a middle. Then I thought of the perfect name since I had her and I get seniority I picked it and just now told him a little while ago.”

“After quite a bit of discussion, we’d like you to meet Emily Dana.”

“No Lorelai the fourth.”

“Not this time mom.”

“So there’s a next time?”

“Not anytime soon.”

“Rory I’m touched.” Emily beamed.

“We figured we’d call her Emmie but I think I’m liking Edie better.”

“Now I know what the middle name is…” Jess joked.

“But to put pressure on you in front of everyone so you can’t say no we would like you to be one of the Godmothers Paris and Lane is the other.”

“Well I don’t personally believe in the concept of some long haired grandpa up in the sky watching over us concept but I accept.”

Paris was always Paris.

“Of course.” Lane squealed. “Can I take a couple pictures the town could revolt if I don’t come back with photos.”

“No flash,” Jess said quickly.

“I remember,” Lane snapped three photos. “That should hold them off until you get home.”

“We had to ditch the car to keep from being followed,” Zach joked. “We gotta get going. Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Zach.”

“I should go too,” Paris was oddly gentle holding the baby’s finger. “You did good Rory.”

“Gee thanks. But really Paris thank you so much. I don’t know if I could have done it without you.”  

“I know.”

With a wave, the room cleared out.

“Grandma, would you like to hold your great-granddaughter?”

“Oh yes.” Jess placed the pink bundle in her arms. “Hello, little Emily. That sounds so strange.”

“Good strange?” Lorelai asked.

“Very good.”

Jess watched his uncle who’d said nothing since coming into the room.

“Earth to Luke,” Jess called.

“Yeah.”

The baby started to fuss.

“I’ll take her Grandma,” Rory held her arms out.

Edie quieted right down when Rory took her.

 “We’re going to hunt down some coffee.” Lorelai pulled her mother away mouthing _they need a moment_. She checked her phone as they left.

“Do you want to hold her?” Jess asked.

“No, I’m good.”

“Come on Uncle Luke, you’ll offend my daughter and he’s part Lorelai so she can twist that around for the rest of her life.”

Hearing Jess call Edie his daughter made the difference. “Okay.” He sat down in a chair and Jess took the baby from Rory and gave her to Luke.

He hadn’t held a baby since Doula was little. Luke marveled at how his hands seemed giant cradled under the baby.

By his face, he was instantly captured too.

“Hi Edie, I’m your… wait what am I?”

“Up to you,” Rory shrugged. “I assumed Grandpa but you could be Uncle Luke if you want.”

“Grandpa is good. Is that all right with you Miss Edie?” Luke smiled down at the tiny bundle who looked up at him with a scrunched face as if deciding what she thought about him.

“She looks a little like your mother, Rory.”

She smiled “The faces, yeah they are definitely Lorelai like.”

“So, Dana huh?”

“Dana,” Rory nodded matter of factly.

Jess never stopped smiling “Her idea, but I agree completely.”

“I wanted her to have strong family names, one from my side and one from Jess’s side. It made the most sense when I thought about it, I mean who else was there for both of us? I thought about Lucy but mom would never stop making jokes and Dana just seemed right.”

“Rory,” emotion choked at his throat.

She raised a hand “Stop if you start I’m going to cry and I don’t know if I can stop.”

Luke was never terribly demonstrative with his feelings merely stood up and placed the baby back in her mother’s arms. He wrapped his arms around Rory and carefully hugged her and kissed her forehead. 

*****

It was late by the time Emily, Lorelai, and Luke got to the Gilmore-Danes house and everyone collapsed.

It wasn’t until the next night that Luke noticed that Lorelai’s phone was glued to her hand the whole day. When the phone rang the following night and she jumped for it, Luke had enough.

“Lorelai what’s the matter?” Luke finally asked, “and don’t tell me nothing.”

“It’s about Rory sort of.”

“You have been extra twitchy and it isn’t because of the baby.”

“You’re right. I’ve been calling Christopher.”

It was a dulled but still sore subject with them but not unexpected. “Yeah well his daughter just had a baby.”

“I’ve been calling him since February.” Lorelai blurted out.

“What?”

Lorelai babbled. “It wasn’t a thing I was keeping from you but let me explain before you get upset. I called him when she was in the hospital the first time.”

“Makes sense she was sick.”

“I didn’t call until she was back here because my thoughts were Hey my kid is unconscious and nearly lost her baby and maybe could have died. So I forgot,” She paused for a breath. “I called Chris and he said he’d come by the hospital but then I explained she was home now he got upset and hung up on me.”

“Okay.”

“So I called him once in a while to touch base and he never answered. I figured hey he’s pissed at me and checking in on Rory without me in the middle. I didn’t think about it enough to even mention, but he wasn’t he just went full no contact. Rory told me so last week.”

“I stole Rory’s phone at the hospital and called him and he answered but when he got me he complained that we’re pushing him out and obviously don’t need him, and I need a taco.”

“Lorelai.”

“Like a big batch of taco’s.” She sighed, “I know he’s never been super-dad but God, he’s almost fifty I’d have thought at some point he’d get over himself and take care of Rory but…”

“It doesn’t matter, we’ve got her back. Chris shows up when he feels like it, if it wasn’t the you not calling it would be something else.”

“I know but still I feel like a bad mom because my little girl wants to be happy right now.”

“She has us, and Jess and a whole town full of wackos who will make sure she’s happy and taken care of.”

“I think it’s just, have you ever looked at someone and thought you could have been so much better and I’m disappointed in losing that person?”

“Yeah I guess Jess was that for me for a while.”

“Not helping, you had a seventeen-year-old punk who grew up into a pretty remarkable man. And if you tell him I said that I swear I will make your life hell.” Lorelai sighed, “Mine is a man-child who has never treated his daughter right and expects her to be the parent in the relationship and make it better.”

“I think the only thing you can do is forget about him and go to bed.” Luke kissed her cheek. “Grandma.”

“Ugh, that is so cold grandpa.”  

“Doesn’t have the same kick, I’m happy with grandpa.”

“What about grandma?” Lorelai asked.

“I’m happy with her too.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too Crazy Lady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random stupid fact- My first name is spelled weird but I once bought a baby name book at the thrift store because it had my name in it and it has some of the weirdest names in it. I found all the odd ones there.


	20. Homecoming

Jess pulled up in front of their house.

“I cannot wait to take a shower in my own shower with my own soap without worrying about people walking in on me.”

“Yeah well lock the door your mom warned me that everyone in town will probably be stopping by.”

“Well we’ll have to tell them that Emily Dana is not up to hosting visitors today, she’s asleep.”

He fought with the car seat “Wait here.” Jess carried Edie into the house and set her inside the door.

“Aren’t you being all bossy today?”

“That’s me,” Jess said flatly

“What are you doing?” Jess scooped her up and carried her in the house, “You are ridiculous.”

“Are you tired?” Jess asked.

“Yeah.”

“Then don’t complain.”

“Aren’t you tired too?”

“I did not just have a baby.”

“Avoiding the issue.”

“Where do you want to go?”  Jess asked.

“Well if I can’t use my feet bedroom please.”

“As the lady wishes.”

He set her down. She kissed him. Emily started crying. “Take your shower lock that door.”

“Why afraid someone will see me?”

“Absolutely. Gotta go take care of this.” Rory glanced around their room. They’d barely had a chance to settle in and she was put on bed rest, but Jess had made it homey. He’d moved the crib into their room.

It was all so surreal. She was a mom now, with a great boyfriend who adored their little girl. She knew she’d gotten lucky.

******

Rory slipped on her robe and picked a fussy Edie out of her crib. She enjoyed the moments she was alone with Edie when she was calm. She marveled at how perfect every inch of Edie was.  The tiny hands and long eye lashes that covered the blue eyes she’d inherited from her mother and grandmother.

Rory saw glimpses of her mother in Edie, and of herself, but the smile was all Logan. She inherited the dimples.

It made Rory sad to think of how much joy she’d had already from the short time she’d had Edie, and Logan had willingly tossed it away.

Rory glanced at Jess passed out on the bed.

Normally he would wake up first and take care of Edie but Rory couldn’t sleep so she heard the first signs of fussiness.

Jess had completely uprooted his life for the two of them. They’d discussed moving to Philadelphia early on but Jess knew Rory would want her mom around.

He waited on Edie hand and foot and Rory would have been a little jealous if it hadn’t warmed her heart.

Edie seemed to like them both equally, but the infant didn’t seem picky about who she gave affection too.

Yet, Rory resigned herself to the fact that Edie would definitely be a daddy’s girl given a few more months. She was more than okay with that.

 

Edie was a week old when Lorelai lightly knocked on the door of her daughter’s house early one morning.

Jess answered the door.

“Hey, I saw the light one thought one of you were up.”

“Two of us anyway.” Jess walked away with Edie in his arms. Lorelai followed him in.

“Jess, can we sit?”

“Do you know if there’s any coffee left? He rubbed his face. He stared at an empty cabinet before finally closing it and giving up.

“Sit I know where everything is.”

Lorelai plopped a near soup bowl sized coffee cup in front of him and put water in the pot.

“Bless you.”

“Edie has the Gilmore lungs?”

“No, she just hasn’t slept.”

Lorelai poured coffee into his glass.

“I just want to clear the air a little,” Lorelai said.

“I will try to follow but if you could talk slower than normal.”

Lorelai took the baby from him and sat across from him at the table. “When you came to town way back when I didn’t like you and you didn’t like me. You were the absolute last guy I wanted my daughter dating. You were a class A royal fuck up.”

“This is really warm and fuzzy but can you write this down instead and I’ll take notes when I’ve slept?” Jess asked annoyed.

“I’m not finished. You _were_ a class A royal fuck up. And you know what? So was I when I was that age. So I do get some of how much you’ve worked to get here, and then throwing a baby into the mix. I know it wasn’t easy.”

The baby wiggled in her arms and Lorelai bounced her. “Edie isn’t yours and you still were there from day one. I was on the other side of pregnant and alone and trust me it was huge that you were there let alone how good you were with Rory. So from one former Fuck up to another I’d like to say I’m sorry and give you my blessing.”

“Blessing?” Jess asked.

“For whatever, just think of it as a blanket blessing, encompasses all that can be blessed. Okay, I’m tired too.  This isn’t Shakespeare here but you get it. I see you’ve changed and I’m sorry. I think that was all my points here.”

“Thanks.”

“And you’re wrong. Some of it was easy. Loving her. Them that was easy, and Edie is mine. I get it now too.”

“Get what?” She asked focusing between the baby and her coffee.

“That teenage me was the last guy you’d ever want near Rory. I think I’d kill a teenage me if he ever came near Edie.”

Lorelai clinked her cup with Jess’s

“There’s daddy.”

*******

Lorelai was up anyway so she took the baby for an early trip to Luke’s.

“Say hello to the newest Gilmore Princess.”

“Mariano,” Luke said not looking up from the counter.

“I know I know but I had the name for thirty years it takes some time getting used to the new names.”

“Thirty?”

“You have a problem with that?”

“Nope just didn’t realize I was robbing the cradle.”

“Well technically I robbed it this morning; well Jess gave her to me. He was exhausted, Rory was unconscious so I get to show her off all over town. Yes, I will.” She spoke to the baby in a squeaky voice which made Edie start crying.

And Lorelai couldn’t get her to stop.

She bounced her and rocked her and she kept crying.

“You do your grandma proud with the wailing and the screaming.”

 Luke already fed up with the disturbance to his usually calm early morning reached for her. “Give her here.”

Edie stopped crying.

“How did you do that?” Lorelai asked.

“She likes me.” Luke shrugged and continued working with Edie in one arm.

“Are you implying that she likes grandpa more than grandma?”

“I’m quiet you’re not.”

They were alone now.

Edie didn’t fuss with Luke holding her so Lorelai helped herself to a cup of coffee and sat at the counter watching them.

“You know you look pretty good with that baby.”

“Oh really,” Luke asked half ignoring Lorelai.

“Yeah, look pretty good without a baby too but this is cute.” She sipped her coffee.

“Hey, Luke?”

“Yeah?”

“I know I really took the reins and jumped the shark with the whole surrogacy thing and first off you don’t have sex with the surrogates okay. You never see them. But anyway I thought we should discuss it and not just one decides and the other pass or vetoes it.”

“What are you babbling about?”

“I think I want one.”

“One.”

“A baby,” Lorelai said quickly. “It’s not a deal breaker if you say no and I think we were not in a good spot last year or I wasn’t but I would like to discuss with you the idea of having a baby. Or adopting a baby or I don’t know.”

“I will think about it and we can talk about it later,” Luke said easily.

“What?”

“I said I’d think about it.”

Lorelai’s face brightened. “You’re not saying no.”

“No, I’m not saying no. I mean you said Michel and Frederick were getting one so maybe see how it goes or ask him what they did and we’ll see.”

Lorelai’s smile took over her entire face. “We’ll see.”


	21. Chapter 21

Hours later, a much better rested Jess and Rory came looking for their daughter.

They walked into a storm of chaos that was Luke’s diner. Twenty people crowded into one side of the diner.

“Oh, she’s beautiful.”

“She looks just like her mother.”

“Those chubby little cheeks.”

“Okay okay you’ve all seen her now back to your tables or you don’t get served,” Luke said over the crowd, who grudgingly went back to their seats. 

“Ah, the mother has come looking for her young.” Lorelai mocked.

“Hey mom, if it’s a problem with her being here I can take her home.”

“No.” Both Luke and Lorelai said quickly. They both loved having Edie to fuss over.

“But they really you should have named her Lorelai. You do a damn fine impression of me Edie.” The baby managed as much of a smile as she could and began to babble continuously.

“Rory we’d love to have a small little Welcome Baby party if you’re up for it?” Babette said over her oatmeal.

“That’s really not necessary, I mean the baby shower was so overgenerous.”

“Nonsense we’d love to and that way everyone can see Edie.” 

“Just accept defeat kid,” Lorelai said quietly.

“If you guys want to I mean we’d be honored,” Rory said diplomatically.

 ****

The following Saturday brought the party which as expected the women of Stars Hallow went overboard.

Rory pulled up to the meeting house and Jess came out to walk her and Lorelai in.

“Where’s Edie?” She asked.

“I lost her in there,” Jess looked toward the doors. “I don’t think we’re getting her back.”

“Babette or Miss Patty.”

“Miss Patty first then Liz and I lost track.”

“Oh no, they might start fighting soon. Better scoot.” Lorelai pushed them forward.

Tacky pink frilly baby decorations filled the room but it was sweet.

Lane currently held her goddaughter, “Rory, she’s perfect she looks just like you.”

Miss Patty pulled her aside “Rory dear you have to enroll her in dance as soon as she can walk that way she can live and breathe the dance.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little dangerous considering you put me in a corner for my terrible dancing?”

“All the more reason to start her off right. Correct any problematic genes you passed on.”

“Thanks, Miss Patty,” Rory said sarcastically.

“You’re most welcome dear.” Patty raised her voice “Let’s get seated everyone.  Rory you and Jess in the middle so everyone can see.”

They hadn’t received much in the way of clothes at the baby shower but the meet the baby party the town insisted on was full of girly frilly things.

“This is from me.” Lane handed Jess a box to open instead of Rory. He pulled out several onesies with rock and indie bands printed on them and a small leather jacket. “I thought we could start my goddaughter’s the rebel years right away.”

“They’re perfect.” Jess laughed.

Edie started fussing. “I’ll take her. Come to daddy.” He took her outside and bounced her around.

He could hear the women talking about him as he left.

“I never thought he’d be so good with a baby.”

Rory gushed over him too. “I’m so spoiled he grabs her in the middle of the night to feed her and change her. Jess is beyond fantastic.”

He didn’t really want to be at the shower so they walked into Luke’s. “Hey, grandpa.”

“There she is, hi Edie.” Luke came over to see his granddaughter.

“What no hi for me?” Jess grumbled.

“She’s pretty.”

“Are you saying I’m not pretty?”

“Eh, you’re just okay.”

“I think we need to borrow your truck.”

“That much stuff huh?”

“You have no idea,” Jess groaned inwardly. 

“You look in my garage lately?” Luke rolled his eyes. “Tons of weird stuff from the wedding.”

“The first shower was so much stuff I didn’t think they’d buy more.”

“Well, they’re excited. Rory was always pretty much the princess of this town.”

The bell rang and Dean walked in with his wife.

It had been a long time since they’d ran into each other but they learned to be civil to each other in their adult years. “Jess.”

“Dean.”

“So I heard you two had a girl. Congratulations man.” Dean looked over at Edie who stared back at him. “Wow, she’s beautiful.”

“Oh let me see.” Dean’s wife leaned over to see Edie. “Oh, she is precious, that dark hair is so pretty.”

“Thanks, I think so but I’m biased.”

“You think you’re in love now, wait until she calls you daddy. You will never be the same.” Dean slipped into a chair next to his wife.

Jess already wasn’t. He looked at the little girl in his arms and she smiled up at him and reached for his face awkwardly not quite finding what she wanted.  Edie grabbed the finger he offered her and held tight.

No, he would never be the same.


	22. Chapter 22

Rory noted the subtle changes in Jess. No one would ever accuse him of being an extrovert but lately, he’d withdrawn into himself a little more.

He had been distant for several days.

At first, Rory tried to chalk it up to her hormones and that nothing was different and then tiredness from the baby but it felt off.

“Is something wrong?” She finally asked.

“No.”

“You just seem distracted,” she nudged gently.

“It’s a book problem don’t worry about it.”

“I can help, talk you through it.”

“No, I don’t know how to set any of it up.” He looked at her for the first time in a few hours. “I’ll let you know when I get it figure it out.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Rory chose to let it go for now and snapped another photo of the baby.

“Are you still taking pictures?”

“I’m obsessed aren’t I?” She sighed putting down the phone.

Jess’s distraction changed to tenderness as he watched them on the floor. “Maybe, but she’s gorgeous so it’s not your fault.”

Edie gurgled her agreement.

Rory nodded “We have one cute kid.”

“She’s not cute she’s magnificent.” Jess picked her up off the floor and lifted her above his head before bringing her back down to kiss her stomach and then her cheeks.

Rory loved him more the more he loved Edie.

She’d get to the bottom of what was bothering him sooner or later, and maybe it was just a book thing.

She didn’t really believe it, but she thought she’d trust him to come to her when he was ready.

******

“Hello,” Rory answered her phone absently.

“Hi, Ace.”

The world froze for a moment, what was she supposed to do here. “I really think you should stick with Rory.”

“I called to see how is everything?”

“Beyond perfect actually.”

“That’s good,” he paused.

“Is there something you wanted? I’m kind of busy here.” She was fighting to keep a civil tone.

“Just, is _it_ okay?”

Her inner Lorelei came out. “It? No, it isn’t okay. Not that you asked but I had a girl. A healthy girl and SHE is fine. Jess is a fantastic dad to her and I’m very happy. Is there anything else??

“No, look I just wanted to know if you need anything.”

“Logan, you gave her up without even saying anything to me. If anything I need an explanation.”

“I couldn’t do it, Rory. I’m not meant to be a dad. Odette and I just got married. It complicated things. I thought you’d be better off.”

For a moment Rory didn’t speak she wanted to scream but it wasn’t really about him anymore. It was about what was good for Edie.

“You were right.” She was angry but the words came out sadly. She waited for him to ask her what the baby’s name was.

Logan hung up without another word.

 

Jess came home to Rory slamming dishes in the sink.

“Rory.”

Her eyes were swollen and her jaw was clenched. “I’m fine.”

“Clearly.”

“He called to ask if IT was okay. Like my daughter is a damn car. Did its oil leak?” She bit out every ‘it,’ slamming a clean pot in the soapy water.

“Okay let’s get you away from that,” Jess pulled her away from the sink and sat her down.

Her mind reeled until she could form a coherent thought. “It. He calls after almost no contact and calls Edie it.”

Jess took her hands in his, “It doesn’t matter what he said because she’s ours.”

“I know it’s just. How could he just sign her away? It hurts. Jess that could have been me. My dad could have just signed a paper saying she’s not worth the time. He won’t talk to me now.”

“I get it I really do.”

“I know you do, that makes it worse.”

“Come with me.”

Jess gently pushed Rory into Edie’s room and watched her sleeping.

Edie was used to noise and could now sleep through anything when she chose to.

“Look at her. She is perfect. No one in their right mind would give her up. Or you.”

Rory looked at her baby. _Their_ baby.

She spun and crushed Jess to her in a hug as tears filled her eyes.

“What now?” Jess asked.

“I want to hold her and squish her but I can’t so you have to do.”

“I will happily take the fall.”

“Thank you, Jess.”

Rory dried her tears.

“I need to make a call.”

She walked into the kitchen, it went to voicemail after one ring. “Dad. I know you’re angry about everything but I really want to explain things to you in person. You really should meet your granddaughter. Her name’s Emily. Edie. Come by whenever okay. You don’t need to call. I just need my dad.”

Jess sorted through the mail. “Hey, you got something from the county. Forget to renew your license again.”

“No, it’s probably Edie’s birth certificate.”

The baby started to cry.

“Hey, can you open it. I need some baby time.” Rory ran into the baby’s room pulling Edie close to her and snuggled her perfect baby face. “Hi, sweetie.”

“Damn,” Jess said from the table.

“What’s wrong?” Rory called as she changed a diaper.

“The birth certificate’s wrong. We’ll have to call to get a new one.”

“Give me a sec,” she came out bouncing the baby on her shoulder. “Let me see it. No that’s right.”

“The last name’s wrong. Mariano.”

“No that’s what I put. She’s yours officially. Just like me.” She kissed him on the cheek.

“Well not officially,” Jess said.

“What do you mean?”

He looked at the paper in his hands. “If something ever happened they could take her away from me. Since I’m not the biological dad.”

“Who they? No one would do that Jess.”

“But what if?”

Rory looked at the strain in his eyes and considered many possibilities where he would need to be legally protected.

She admitted, “I guess there are ways it could happen but what can we do about that?”

“He gave her up legally. What if I adopted her?”

Rory never considered asking him to do that, just saying he was Edie’s father was more than she could have hoped for.

“Jess,” Rory’s voice shook with emotion. She could feel the tears coming back.  

“Emily could probably have it done quietly, and then it wouldn’t even be an issue. She’d be mine.”

“Jess.” She put the baby in his arms and held them both. “Edie is yours, but if it would make you feel better I’ll talk to grandma today?”

“It would,” he admitted kissing the baby on the top of the head.

“Like I said she’s yours, and so am I. We’re not going anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was having a couple awful days and then I got the nicest message from one of my readers. So I just wanted to say I appreciate you all so much for reading. :)


	23. September

Rory was sitting on the couch looking over stories she was editing.

Jess pulled the stack of papers from her hands. “Hey want to play hooky?”

“What about Edie?”

“A crazy lady with your eyes kidnapped her an hour ago.”

“And you’re just telling me now,” Rory scoffed.

“Well, Edie seemed like she was going to have a post nap meltdown so I thought I’d save us.”

“How devious of you,” Rory smiled. “I don’t have to do anything? Yes!”

She grabbed a coat and they held hands and walked towards town.

“We’re outside I forgot what outside looked like.”

“We went out this morning,” Jess commented.

“But that was with a baby and twenty baby bags and things.”

Jess took her to the bookstore and let they browsed for an hour.

Rory noticed people gathering in the square. “Hey the fall festival is today, how did I forget?”

“Let’s have a look.”

“You want to go to the festival?”

“No, but that way Lorelai won’t look for us in case she wants to return her.”

Taylor stood in the center of the gazebo. “We’re going to be auctioning off baskets as is tradition. Whoever bids the most per basket wins the basket and the company of the lovely lady who packed it.”

They watched from the back the third basket came up. “This rather mediocre looking basket was packed by Rory Gilmore.”

“So you forgot about the basket auction huh?” Jess teased. “I’m insulted you have a boyfriend.”

“I didn’t pack that?” Rory laughed. 

“Has your name on it.”

“I didn’t pack it.”

Kirk bid five dollars.

“Jess please don’t let him win that.”

“Wasn’t that the plan find a new guy who wants to come to these town events.”

“Going once,” Taylor shouted.

“Jess please,” Rory begged with terror in her eyes.

“Good thing I have my wallet.”

“Ten dollars.” He glared at Kirk who did not bid again.

“Once. Twice. Sold to the hoodlum.”

“My hero.” Rory wrapped an arm around Jess’s waist.

“Hey come on.” They went to the bridge.  “If you wanted to do the basket auction you just had to say so.”

“Jess for the last time I did not pack that basket.”

“Were you hoping that someone else would buy it? That hurts Rory.” Jess joked.

“It will hurt if you keep saying I packed that basket. But hey you paid ten bucks for it.”

“Last one was moldy and I paid a lot for it so split the difference.”

They sat down and Rory opened the lid.

“Oh my gosh.” It was all the junk food Rory had been denied for months. “I’m going to pig out and get fat again.”

“Go right ahead,”Jess smiled watching her enjoy herself “Get any editing done?”

“Not really. you?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe Grannie and Grampie can watch her a little more often. Or anyone else in town for that matter.”

“Not Miss Patty,” Jess said quickly.

“Why not?”

“She keeps pinching my ass.”

Rory laughed “But it’s so cute.”

“I like her hands not on my ass.”

“Hey, be grateful she could be putting them other places.”

Rory took his hand. “Jess I really needed this break. Edie is wonderful, but I’m tired you’re tired. She’s never tired. This was nice.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“So do you confess to packing this basket?”

“My hands never touched anything in this basket.”

“Close enough to an answer for me.”

When they finished their food Rory tucked their books into the basked and Jessed helped her up.

Jess wouldn’t look her in the eye.

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked.

“Rory I wasn’t going to do this with everything  you’ve been going through but I thought about it and I have to.”

Was he leaving? It became too much too fast. No not Jess. She had to remind herself that he wasn’t the runner. Not anymore.

“I told you months ago that there was one girl for me and I met her when I was seventeen. I thought she was the most incredible girl in the world and I couldn’t love anyone more. But I was wrong.”

Rory’s heart stopped.

“You’re not that little girl anymore. And I love who you’ve become. You have Edie and you’ve shared her with me and I love you both more than anything.  Rory Gilmore.” He got down on one knee.

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes. Jess, I’ll marry you.” She lunged at him and kissed him. Tears rolled down her cheeks.  

“She said yes.”  A voice yelled from down the trail. They heard a faint cheer from what they expected to be the center of town.

“Guess that saves time on making the announcements,” Jess joked. "Should we deal with that?"

"I supposed," Rory wiped her tears away, "but first I think you should kiss your fiancée." She wrapped her arms around his neck. 

"Yes, ma'am," Jess smiled and kissed her. They both ignored the few cheers that echoed through the trees. 

 


	24. Daddy Issues

Jess knew when he saw the notebook he was done for.

“We have to discuss wedding stuff because there are a million wedding crazed women wanting answers,” Rory sat on the floor and uncapped her pen.

He sat up “Shoot.”

“Flowers out of a cannon? Was suggested,” She said sarcastically. 

He wanted to make a joke but the people in this weird little town could go crazy.

“For the record, I’m going with whatever you want to do, as long as I get the girls I don’t care how it happens.”

“Remember you said that when this is over,” she told him. “So a lot of this if pretty vague but if we narrow it down that will help a lot.”

“Date?” She asked.

“Sooner rather than later.”

“How many people?”

Jess shrugged, “don’t you want the big town wedding?”

“I don’t know I mean mom’s was fun, maybe just the people we know and love instead of everyone.”

Jess gave her a look. “Okay the people we know and I love and you tolerate in various levels.” Rory moved on before he could comment.

"I'll make a list of people but it's going to be short."

Rory jotted that down too. “Level of fanciness?”

“Don’t make me wear a tux.”

“How about a suit?”

“I will wear a suit,” Jess accepted defeat.

“Great. Flowers and colors?”

“Seriously,” he rolled his eyes at her.

“Lime green and magenta it is. I’ll have to make sure they have that in a plaid when we get your suit.”

“You are not funny,” Jess said.

“Is that any way to talk to your fiancée?”

“Hmm, I don’t know I haven’t had one before.”

“Oh, I did once? I was five and then he threw mud at me and we went our separate ways.”

“Is that any way to talk to your fiancé?” Jess joked.

“Where should we have it?”

“I don’t know. Dragonfly, town square, what about down by the lake by the Independence Inn.”

“Really?”

“It’s where I kissed you for the first time.”

Rory’s smile lit up her whole face. “I worry about you with Edie when she gets older. You’re such a softie.”

“What are you saying?” He asked.

“That she is going to wrap you around her little finger.”

“Do you have more wedding questions?”

Rory smirked and went back to her list. “Flowergirls Doula and Martha?”

“Doula would like that. You should ask her, though, she’ll appreciate that you asked.” When Rory didn’t ask another question Jess spoke, “I have a question for you and it’s not a happy one.”

She put her pen down. “Alright.”

“Have you told your dad?”

“I-I called him and voicemail again.”

“Still ghosting you?” Rory nodded. “Do you want him at the wedding? Walk you down the aisle, the dance?”

“I do. He’s still my dad, but he’s not talking to me. I don’t know what I did.”

“You didn’t do anything Rory. Sometimes people are just jerks.”

“That is my dad you’re talking about.” She said sarcastically.

Jess shrugged “He made you cry. If he’s going to treat you this way I don’t want him to come to the wedding.”

“Which begs the question, Jimmy?”

“We can invite him if you want but I really don’t care.”

“Did you guys have a fight or something?” Rory asked.

“I don’t think we cared enough about each other to have a fight. I just packed up said goodbye and I sent a few emails at first checking in. He didn’t answer. He has my number and knows where I am.”

“I’m sorry.”

He leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head. “I think I’ve got a lot to not be sorry about.”

Edie started to cry from her crib. “Speaking of one of those reasons.”

Rory followed him after a moment and watched him give Edie her bottle and how he talked to her.

“Somehow you always know what to say to me.”

“What was that?” He asked.

“If I care I need to fight for it.”

********

Rory made an appointment with the receptionist under a name she picked out of an old phonebook she’d found in Lorelai’s garage.

When she walked in Chris was stunned.

“What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk and I’ve reserved an hour of your time so you can at least give me that.”

“Rory I don’t think this is-“

Rory snapped at him “I don’t care what you think about me coming here. You are my dad and I deserve this time. We used to have a good relationship but it was always when you felt like it and this is make or break dad.

"Mom said she didn’t call you when I was in the hospital. Well, that’s on her, I’m sorry but it isn’t my fault. I could have died, my baby could have died. Sorry, my biggest priority was not checking that the phone tree wasn’t followed. But by how you don’t answer anyone’s calls would it have even mattered?" She said sarcastically. 

"Ror that isn't fair" 

"Since I got better I’ve called you dozens of times. I don’t care if you were mad at mom I did not deserve that. I was scared and dealing with a lot.” She pulled a packet out of her purse and threw it on the desk. “I had the baby early, here are some pictures her name is Emily Dana, we call her Edie.”

Rory stopped to catch her breath. “I debated long and hard about telling you this because you’ve been less than concerned but Jess isn’t Edie’s father. Her father and I broke up before I found out, and he didn’t want her. So much so that he signed over his rights. Only Grandma, Mom, Luke, Jess and the father know that, so at the very least don’t tell anyone about it. We’ve told everyone that Jess is Edie’s father and I want it kept that way. Jess is adopting her, he asked me to marry him and I said yes.”

“Jess has a lousy relationship with his dad, we have that in common. The guy took off when he was a kid and Jess tracked him down ten years ago. He didn’t want him around and Jess didn’t care enough to fight him about it. But I hoped you at least cared a bit more than that.”

“Rory that is a lot to process,” Christopher said in defeat. 

“I know that, and I’m not asking you to decide anything now. You can’t tell anyone about Jess not being Edie’s father. Other than that realize I’m giving you time to figure out how you want to handle things. But I’m not fighting for your attention anymore. If you can only be a father to GiGi then it’s better that I know that now. I won’t come back, you know where I am.”

She turned and walked out of her father’s office. She just wondered if she’d just walked out of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to have Jess go in all noble and ‘talk’ to Chris but Rory is a big girl, who has seen both Lorelai and Emily put people in their place, and she can do it herself.


	25. Trick or Treat

5month old Emily seemed to love Halloween. The bright orange decorations caught her attention and fascinated her.

Jess was not overly enthused about the holiday but agreed to take his girls trick-or-treating.

“I have to get some work done, what time is this?” He asked sulkily.

“There’s a party at Miss Patties at 7 and Trick or treating starts at 5.”

“I’m not dressing up.”

“Please, Jess.” Rory pouted, a technique she recently realized worked when she wanted her way. “At least just wear your leather jacket. You’ll look festive but without dressing up.”

“Does it mean that much to you?”

Rory nodded.

Jess groaned, “Fine.”

“Thank you.”

 

4:45pm

“Jess, it’s almost time to go trick or treating.”

“I’m saving now.”

“Your jackets on the couch. I’m still getting Edie ready can you pour the bag of candy in the bowl on the porch?”

“Sure thing.” He did as he was asked and put on his jacket. “What’s she dressed as anyway?”

“I told you it’s a surprise.”

Jess ate a handful of candy he swiped from the bowl as he waited.

“Well, how do we look?” Rory came out in a robe with her hair teased, and Edie was in the stroller with a pink jacket on.

“What are you supposed to be? Crazy housewife.” He asked confused.

“Oh right.” She slipped her robe off and tossed it onto a chair.

Rory stood in a skin tight pair of black satin pants with a black off the shoulder shirt and black flats. It took Jess five seconds to realize the costumes.

“You tricked me,” he said defensively.  

“I did indeed.”  Rory smiled.

They swept the neighborhood, knowing the candy was for them but Rory enjoyed having her little family shown off around the town.

At Miss Patty’s Lorelai flounced around in her poodle skirt and saddle shoes. A somewhat miserable looking Luke was dragged behind her.

“She found your letterman jacket?” Jess asked.

Luke nodded solemnly. “I’m guessing you also didn’t know.”

“Like mother like daughter. I wondered why she wouldn’t tell me what the baby was wearing.”

Patty pulled Rory aside.

“Rory dear, good job on landing that one.”

Before she could respond Babette chimed in “Yeah he’s got such a firm tushie.”

Rory blushed. “Okay, guys just watch it on the punch, and hands off that’s mine.”

“Spoilsport,” they called after her.

Rory, also having sampled Patty’s punch, came up behind Jess and lightly pinched him on the butt.

“Hey, can I help you with something?” He asked jokingly.

“So rumors going around that you have a great butt.”

“I think you can verify those rumors are true.”

“Pretty sure of yourself huh. Question is how do they know?”

“Gotta get those candy bars somehow.”

“You whored yourself out for some candy bars?” Rory asked in fake shock.

“They were king sized and I got you your favorite.”

“Ooo go ahead with my blessing.”

“And in all honesty, I did not offer. The hands went where they wanted and then paid me in hush candy. Next year you’re taking her trick or treating.”

“Nuh uh, you’re going with us every year. How about next year she can be a princess and you can be a knight in armor to protect yourself.”

“With those two on the loose, it would take way more than some armor.”

“I think someone’s ready to go,” Rory said looking to the baby who couldn’t keep her eyes open.

“She’s been openly adored by everyone in town, her duties are fulfilled for one evening.”

They said goodbye to Luke and Lorelai and walked home. Rory shivered in the breeze. Jess stopped taking off his jacket and giving it to her.

“Why Mr. Zuko, you are such a gentleman.”

“Don’t let it get around, I have a rep to protect.”

Once home, together they put the baby to bed and spent the evening eating too much candy and watching movies.

“This has been the best Halloween of my entire life.”

“How so?” He was genuinely curious, “we didn’t do much, just trick-or-treating, party, and this.”

“No, you don’t get it. This is the only Halloween I’ve had my family around me.” She moved to toss her wrappers onto the coffee table. “I mean my mom and I would always do the basic stuff but there was always something missing. Tonight she has Luke, and I have you and Edie.”

“So simple works better for you?” Jess asked.

“That’s not it exactly, but when I was little I always wanted my dad to come up and go with us. And he never did. This year I have my stepdad and my fiancé. I kind of realized something today I hadn’t really thought about.”

“Oh yeah, what was that?”

“We’re a family.”

He stared at her for a while, there was a gravity to it being said out loud.

“Yeah, we are,” he said.

Rory sorted through the pile of movies.

“Same here,” Jess said.

“What?”

“Best Halloween ever.”

“You don’t have to agree with me just-”

“I’m not,” he interrupted. “I get what you were saying. Jimmy left, Liz was usually drunk or stoned so I think I went out trick-or-treating once or twice. Then I got in trouble and ended up here.”

“Well here’s to new traditions.” Rory pushed herself into his side.

“I’ll go with you guys next year,” Jess said casually.

“You will?”

“I’m not letting our daughter spend some night talking about how she wishes her dad was someplace he should have been.”

Rory leaned in and kissed him.

Simultaneously Edie started fussing and someone knocked on the door.

Jess groaned. “You get her I get the door?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Jess opened the door to Lorelai and Luke standing off not wanting to come in.

“We won the group prize,” Lorelai beamed.

“Come on in Edie’s up.”

When Rory emerged from the baby’s room, Edie began reaching.

“Guess she wants Grandma, come here sweetie.” Lorelai took the baby who just kept fussing.

“Damn, fine Grandpa it is.” Lorelai handed Edie to Luke, she pouted and sulked on the couch.

“Don’t feel bad Mom, it’s those Dane’s men. Gilmore girls can’t resist them.”

The whole family sat on the couch watching movies and Edie did eventually want Grandma to hold her before falling back to sleep.

Luke fell asleep by 11, Jess was the next to go. Rory leaned into her mom’s shoulder as they kept watching movie after movie. She was right.

It was the perfect Halloween.


	26. November

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my server has been wonky, trying to post as it decides to let me.

Rory was sitting in the back yard with Edie in her bouncer. The cool air seemed to calm her down so Rory wrote while the baby talked incessantly in her gibberish language.

A voice interrupted her thoughts, “She sure has her grandmother’s gift of gab.”

Rory looked up, “Dad.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Rory. I acted badly and you didn’t deserve it. I know I haven’t been the greatest dad but I’ve never been such an ass before.”

“You’re right you haven’t.”

Chris smiled, “That right there is Lorelai.”

“I love you dad but if this is going to work you don’t get to flake on me or on Edie. You make promises you keep them. I won’t let you hurt Edie,” She almost didn’t say it but she did, “like you hurt me.”

“I never really thought I was hurting you, it was me being selfish and inconsiderate. I will do better.”

Words meant everything to Rory, but just now they fell flat. Only time would tell.

“Would you like to meet your granddaughter?”

Chris walked over to the bouncer and picked Edie up.

“She looks just like you did,” Chris said with a wistful smile.

“That’s what mom said.”

They spent a few minutes chatting before Chris asked, “So when’s this wedding I've heard about?”

 

********

Jess returned home from a long drive back from Philadelphia.

"I'm home," Jess called. "Until the next crisis."

“Hey Jess, I need to tell you something,” Rory called happily from the kitchen.

He laughed, “The last time you said that” he didn’t finish the statement.

“I know but do I sound like I did then?”

“Proceed.” He dropped his bags on the floor by the door. 

She smiled smugly “Well I received a certified letter today. A very interesting letter.”

“I know Stars Hallow is small but mail has been a thing for a while.”

“It wasn’t that I got the letter it was what was in the letter.”

“I’m dying with anticipation here,” Jess said sarcastically. 

“Well let me show you what Edie did. Come into the kitchen.”

Pink balloons covered the back of a chair with an envelope attached.

Jess opened the envelope it was a certificate of adoption.

“Congratulations it’s a girl. Now we are both officially yours.”

Jess wrapped his arm around Rory’s neck and kissed the top of her head. “Not yet.”

“A few weeks technicality, trust me I am yours.”

 

*****

Rory was sitting at the Gazette putting together the fundraiser application to submit to Taylor to get some new software.

“Miss Gilmore?” One of her interns called her, “there’s someone on the phone for you, he said it’s important.”

“This is Rory Gilmore.”

“Hello Rory, I’m calling from the Jefferson University Hospital. I’m sorry to inform you that Jess Mariano has been in an accident, he’s been admitted. You’re his emergency contact.”

“What kind of accident? How bad is he?” Rory didn’t recognize her voice.

“He’s unconscious now, he was hit by a drunk driver.”

“It’s going to take me a few hours to get there, is anyone with him?”

“No, I’m afraid not.” The man was very sympathetic.

“I’m going to call his business partners and have them come up, can they please be kept informed?”

“I’ll make a note of it in the chart.”

“I’m on my way.” She hung up and now she was shaking.

“Miss Gilmore.”

“I need my cell phone. Where is my purse?”

Nina grabbed it and put it in Rory’s hands.

“Thank you, Nina.” Rory ran out towards Luke’s bashing through the door.

“Luke.”

“He’s not here,” Kirk said. 

“Where is he?”

“At the market I guess.”

Rory turned and ran into Dooses. “Luke,” she yelled.

Luke came running up from the back. “Rory what’s the matter.” 

She couldn’t catch her breath “Jess, he’s been in an accident in Philadelphia, we have to go.”

Luke said nothing but grabbed her arm and they ran for his truck.

It was agony. Three hours and thirty-nine minutes.

That’s how long it took Luke to drive to the hospital.

In the time Rory called Truncheon. Both Matt and Chris were held up at the hospital sending a text every twenty minutes.

She also called her mother to get the baby from Michel who was trying out dealing with an infant.

Then calling the Gazette to tell the interns to lock up when she ran off without a word.

The last call was the hardest, Liz and T.J. who were in Maine at a winter festival but left immediately. Liz was immediately crying. 

Luke was grateful for the distraction of her voice, unfortunately, the calls didn’t take long enough.

He stopped the truck at the front door and let her run inside. She found out the floor and waited for Luke to park.

They rushed towards the sixth floor and found Chris waiting for them in the waiting room. “Hey Rory,” Chris said giving her a hug.

“We’ve been switching places, Matt’s in there now.”

“Okay, which way?”

“Wait, Rory,” Chris said taking a seat. “You need to take a minute, he looks pretty bad. There are tubes, and monitors, he’s pretty cut up.”

“I don’t care I need to see him.”

Chris nodded and showed them to Jess’s room.

Once, there Luke and Rory both froze. They looked each other in the eye and together stepped into the room.

She didn’t even see Matt.

Jess lay motionless with tubes in his mouth and nose. He was bruised and cut up. Part of his head had been shaved for stitches.

Luke pushed her forward and they sat down on either side of him, and they waited.

Hours passed and Jess started twitching and choking around the tubes.

Luke ran for the doctor.

“Jess calm down, I know it hurts but just breathe.”

“I need everyone outside,” the doctor yelled.  His team pushed everyone out the door.

Rory didn’t move from the door she saw everyone running around the room, and she couldn’t move.

After an eternity the doctor came out, “He’s semi-conscious, he’ll be in and out for a while. We’re going to run some more scans but you can sit with him until we take him down.”

Rory rushed back into the room, Jess was short of breath. “Jess,” Rory whispered.

“Hey.”

“Don’t talk that’s probably bad. I ran off before the doctor was done talking.”

“I’m okay.”

“You don’t talk,” She scolded softly, “and you will be okay. I won’t stand for anything less.”

Jess smirked then whispered, “Love you.”

“I love you too.” That’s when she let the tears fall.


	27. Tiny Silver Baubles

Rory left Matt and Chris to sit with Jess, while Luke filled Rory in on what she’ missed.

Luke leaned against the wall; his face was a redder than it should have been.

“He was extremely lucky,” Luke began, “the drunk driver clipped the back bumper and Jess’s car had spun into oncoming traffic.”

“Was anyone else hurt?” Rory asked.

“A few but jess was the worst one,” Luke glanced through the doors at his nephew now resting in the bed.

“What else did the doctor say?”

“His wrist is broken, some cracked ribs, a probable concussion, and impact bruises and burns from the airbag.”

Rory whispered her last question, “Is he going to be alright?”

“Yes, he can go home in a few days, the break was clean so he won’t need surgery, the rest just has to heal.”

Rory was somehow sitting on the ground she noticed. She knew she hadn’t blacked out but wasn’t really sure how she ended up down here. Luke helped her to her feet.

“Your mom should be here soon,” he said as he guided her to a chair.

“Your mom is right here,” Lorelai’s voice lit up the room.

She hugged Luke first, knowing he wouldn’t say anything about how scared and upset he was. Then she kissed him on the cheek.

Turning to her daughter, “Hey hun, how you holding?”

“We’re doing okay,” she said looking at Luke. “Where’s Edie?”

“I know you asked for her, but Michel and Frederick offered to keep her until whenever. They took a shine to her. They’ve decided they’re going to adopt one. Plus with the hospital, I know you want her but this is scary for a baby.”

“Mom I really want her here. I don’t know how long I’ll be away from her.”

“Which is why the three of them are in the hotel down the street.”

Rory wrapped her arms around her mom, “Thank you, Mommy.”

“I’m going to go hunt for some coffee,” Luke said and took off.

Lorelai knew he’d need a minute alone.

She hugged her daughter, “the other truth is I didn’t know how bad it was, and I didn’t know if you would want the baby here if things were bad.”

“Luke said he was lucky that it was a bad accident, but he’ll be fine.” Rory threw herself back in her chair.

“Of course he is; he’s a Gilmore.”

“Mom,” Rory laughed.

“Yeah, I know but he is by association.”

“I need to call Liz and tell her, you can go and see him if you want.”

“I will just remember I’ll be right here if you need me.”

Liz’s voice was frantic, “Rory, what’s the news? We’re almost in Pennsylvania.”

“You can probably slow down a little, he’s conscious but he’s really tired. He can’t talk because his throat hurts from a tube, but he got lucky.”

“Thank God, my baby’s going to be okay.”

“I’ll tell him you’ll be here soon.

When Rory came back to the room another doctor was examining Jess.

“I need you to say a few words.”

“How long I’m down?” His words were clear but extremely raspy and clearly sore.

“Your voice should come back by the end of the week, the wrist a couple of months. Although the concussion you need to take it very easy for I’d say a month at least. No driving, reading to a minimum, I’d stay away from theme parks.”

“Gonna get married in few weeks.”

“Well, we’ll try to get you up and running for that provided you don’t get too crazy. I suspect you’ll be free and clear to go by the weekend.”

“Jess, we can wait to get married,” Rory said gently.

“Waited years. Done waiting.”

“We’ll talk later. When you can talk.” Before the accident, they hadn’t officially set a date, just the assumption of spring.

“K.”

Jess started to fall asleep.

“Rory, can I see you for a minute?” The nurse asked.

Rory whispered in case he was awake, “Luke should be back in a minute. I’ll rush right back.”

Rory followed the nurse to the desk where a police officer and another man were waiting for her. “Hi I’m Rory Gilmore, Jess Mariano’s fiancée.”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry to intrude but we need a family member to sign off on the vehicle being taken to the scrap yard.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t slept much, the scrap yard?”

“Yes, we usually take cars involved in accidents to the impound lot. However, due to the extent of the damage.”

“Can I please see the car, see if there’s anything in the car I can bring up for him?”

The other man spoke, “yes ma’am, it’s on the wrecker.” 

She followed them down to the parking lot.

She never saw a car. On the wrecker was a silver blob that matched the color his car had been.

There was no front end there was no trunk, rather the trunk was pushed into the back seat. The driver’s door was missing; the glass was gone or shattered on every single window.

Her brain couldn’t make this thing Jess’s car. Tires were warped and slashed, even the roof and floor were both pushed upward. If not for the tires she wouldn’t be able to tell which was the top and which was the bottom of the car.  

Rory quickly signed the papers and went back inside. She walked into the first bathroom and threw up.

She steadied herself before going back to his room. He was awake now.

“Hey,” she said shakily.

“Hey.”

“I changed my mind, let’s get married.”


	28. Wedding Belles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was super over scheduled and then when I got to this I had trouble with this being extremely clunky, I fought with it until I was happy with it. Hope you enjoy, sorry for the wait.

Two weeks before Christmas the wedding was done quietly at the Cornflower Inn, as it had a larger event room.

That isn’t to say there were few guests. Narrowing down the immediate family and closest friends still left their small wedding as someone else’s how do you know that many people?

Chris and Gigi were trapped in France due to a freak snow storm and Rory understood. It was better this way anyway.

April, Emily, Lane’s family, Michel and Fredrick, Sookie and Jackson with kids in tow, Matt and Chris, Paris with Doyle and their two kids, Liz, TJ, and Doulah.

Jess had a black cast wrapped around his wrist, and the bruises were still plenty prevalent. He allowed Lorelai to put some concealer on the worst of them to make him less Frankenstein’s monsterish. His hair was cut shorter to help match the sections that had been shaven down, and somewhat growing back.

Rory found a white, long sleeve, lacey dress. Luke walked her from the stairs to the main room. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen.

“Are you sure you want to do this like this?” Lorelai ask as she ran a curling iron through Rory’s hair.

“I’m sure” she stated.

“I mean there’s no rush.”

Rory sighed “You didn’t see the car Mom.” Rory had mentioned it to her mother and promptly said she didn’t want to talk about it again.

“You look great kid.” Lorelai said kissing Rory on the top of her head. Her eyes began to water.

“Are you going to do this all day?”

Lorelai flipped her hair “Maybe”

“Just checking,” Rory smiled up at her mom.

Luke knocked on the door, “Are you decent?”

“Nope we’re running around naked,” Lorelai shouted through the door.

“Rory, I’m assuming you’re ready.”

“Just about you can come in if you want.” She and her mother fought with a small floral headband, then Rory put on a little bit of gloss.

Lorelai glanced up to see Luke staring at them “Oh no, not you too.”

He struggled to speak “You just look so…”

“Thank you Luke,” Rory said, “are they ready for us?”

“Yeah. Whenever you’re ready.”

Rory took one last look at herself in the mirror and nodded. “I’m ready.”

They rounded the corner, Lorelai and Luke walked Rory down the makeshift isle towards Jess.

They mouthed ‘Hey’ at each other as Reverend Skinner began to speak.

“I’ve seen both of these children grow into adults. Both have traveled different paths in life to come back together and with this beautiful child. As an outside viewer I am so proud of both of them.

I was slightly hesitant to perform this ceremony on such short notice, but after hearing both speak about why they wanted to rush this particular wedding I couldn’t help but be moved to say yes. To paraphrase very long discussions, both had a moment of clarity as a result of Jess’s accident, they both saw life could be too short, you don’t plan for bumps in the road but things happen. And both felt they couldn’t wait a moment longer before being officially tied together as a family forever.

So I won’t make them wait a moment longer. Do you have the rings?”

Simple vows had the couple married.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Jess had cleared the move with the doctors beforehand, he pulled Rory close and kissed her, then dipped her.

The room cheered.

“May I present Mr. and Mrs. Jess Mariano.”

It was a very simple ceremony, that didn’t keep about half of the guests from crying as they clapped and cheered.

The reception was not a rousing party but it was perfect.  They sat to eat and drink at a large round table, reminding Rory of the few big events at the Independence and Dragonfly Inn.

With their loved ones close at hand, they ate a delicious meal that Sookie prepared and dealt with people constantly tapping their glasses for a kiss.

Finally Jess and Rory stood.

Jess spoke first, “We want to thank the most important people in our lives for being here today. And just to let everyone know we are still going to have the wedding that the Gilmore girls have been planning, just not when I look like this.”

Rory looped her arm through Jess’s, “It was really important that you were all here with us and we love you all very much. Thank you Reverend for performing the ceremony, and Sookie for this amazing meal.”

“Now for cake.”

“That’s how to keep your wife happy.”

They cut the cake and everyone clapped. They chose not to shove the cake in the others face.

Edie started clapping with the rest of the guests and feeling left out started a full on conversation with her highchair until Jess scooped her up.

“You want cake too?”

Edie said something in gibberish back. Despite his numerous visible injuries, Edie had never been scared by him.

The evening came to a close. As the families started to pack up Lorelai stood.

“Alright, I know this was supposed to be extremely simple but Emily Gilmore taught me how to throw a party and as mother of the bride I took liberties.” She stopped to fake cough a few times.

“Once upon a time when these two hooligans were seventeen they were at a party at the Independence Inn and went on a horse drawn carriage ride in the snow. Last year before this little bumpkin was born; they were invited to a party. A car was supposed to show up to drive them but a carriage arrived instead. So I thought it fitting in my capacity of party planner that everyone be driven home or to their lodgings in a carriage.”

“Mommy ponies.” Paris’s daughter squealed.

Paris knelt down to button her daughters’ coat, “I bet if you ask Aunt Lorelai she’ll find you something to give it as a treat.”

The little girl squealed more and chased after Lorelai who was waving her towards the kitchen.

Jess and Rory said their goodbyes with plans to meet the next morning at the diner for breakfast.

The carriage dropped Jess and Rory off at their house and they watched it trot off with a just married sign tied to the back.

Hand and hand they walked into the house.

“I’m sorry,” Jess said softly.

“For what?”

"It wasn’t much of a wedding, not the nice one you wanted."

Rory went to her desk and pulled out a note pad from the drawer and tossed it at him. “Read it.”

“‘Wedding Must Haves. Mom/Luke, family, friends, Jess.’ Glad I made the list.”

"Hardy har. Don’t you get it? I don’t need the frilly stuff. I need you. It’s just a party. This one’s more real. And yeah I’d really like you to not be all beat up but as to alternatives I will take it."

"But your dad isn’t even here," Jess spoke softly. 

"That’s okay. I know he’s trying but trying for a couple of months doesn’t fix years of distance. I think it’s better like this. All the important people were here for us."

“I love you.” He said as his lips grazed hers.

“That’s what I’ve been saying.” Rory raised her left hand to catch the glint off her finger.

“I will even wear a tux for the next one if you want.”

“How about I promise no tux, if you promise no bruises.”

“Deal.”

“You know you better take that cover up off before we go to bed." Rory giggled, "I’ve never dated a guy who wore more make up than me before.” 

Jess caught her wrist and pulled her to him “You never dated a guy who wore make up, you married one.”

Rory’s smile coved her face. “I did didn’t I?” She kissed him.

When they broke apart Jess said “Hi Mrs. Mariano.”

“Hi Mr. Mariano.”

“I love you,” He said.

“Back at you.”


	29. A Year of Change

The Dragonfly was usually a little under booked at New Year. Lorelai invited her mother and Paris and Doyle up to the Inn. Matt and Chris were also invited but were with their families. She’d enjoyed having them around. They were all taking an extended vacation.

The Diner had been taken over by the extended Gilmore group. Kids were at one table, the husbands at another and the wives happily talking.

From behind the counter, Lorelai watched her girls sitting together. For a minute Paris, Lane, and Rory were sixteen before they morphed back into the wives and mothers before her.

She was about to tear up when Michel and Frederick came in talking a mile a minute.

“What’s going on guys?”

“We’re having a baby.” Frederick shouted

“Science sure has come a long way,” Lorelai joked.

“Getting one,” Michel corrected.

“Paris put us in touch with an adoption attorney and we’re getting a baby in a month or two.”

The room erupted in shouts of congratulations and the happy couple left to buy a plethora of baby items.

 

“It’s been a quite a morning.” Rory and Paris strolled around the town while the men took the kids to the ice cream parlor to torment Taylor before Doyle and Paris headed back to New York.

“You and Doyle seem to be getting along better,” Rory remarked.

“Rory,” Paris looked at the ground ashamed. “Doyle and I aren’t getting divorced.”

Rory teased already suspecting “I thought you couldn’t live with a screenwriter?”

“Don’t you dare tell him I said this, but the scripts aren’t actually bad.”

“My my my. Paris Gellar married to a Hollywood screenwriter. What will they say at the reunion?”

“Probably can’t mock me without their Botox settling wrong.”

“Sounds about right,” Rory nodded in agreement.

Paris gave Rory a rare hug. “You’ve done good.”

“Thanks.” A year ago Rory seriously would have doubted her but now, she knew Paris was right.

 

 

A few weeks after New Year Rory found a package on the porch waiting for her after a day at the Gazette. She carried the box inside and opened it and a book slid out.

“Bob,” said Edie reaching for it.

“Yes baby, it’s a book.”

Rory wasn’t paying much attention figuring it was something she or Jess had ordered until she flipped it over. _Gilmore Girls_ _by Rory Gilmore_ was written in a gold scroll across the rose colored cover.

She didn’t move. For a long time she sat on the couch holding Edie staring at it.

When Lorelai knocked and walked in Rory didn’t even notice her.

“All the coffee in the world is gone,” Lorelai shouted.

Edie squealed, used to her grandmother’s antics already.

Rory jumped.

“Earth to Rory, what is up child?” She took Edie and bounced her.

“It came.”

“How long have you been staring at it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay well, it’s just the loose pages tied together all fancy like. It’s not scary.”

“Whatever you say Mom.”

“God it’s the Harvard letter all over again okay, it’s just  a book.”

“Mom,” Rory shouted as Lorelai picked it up off the table and put it in Rory’s hands.

Rory froze. Then carefully she opened the front cover and began leafing through it page by page.

Seeing the spell broken Lorelai played with Edie. “So when do I get my copy?”

“Do you want this one? Obviously I have a copy,” Rory offered.

“No,” Lorelai pouted in a whiney voice, “I want my own brand new one.”

“It’s like I have two kids sometimes.”

“And how you’re picking on me. You don’t like me you-“

Rory opened the book to the dedication page and shoved it up to Lorelai’s face and took Edie and put her in the playpen.

Lorelai read it slowly to herself then aloud. “To my mom. You are my best friend, my inspiration, and the kind of mother I aspire to be every day. Without you, not one word of anything I’ve ever written would have been possible. Thank you for everything.”

“I’ll sign this one and you can have the very first book of all of them, even better than a first edition.”

“Rory,” Lorelai started to tear up.

“Hey remember you promised to sue so I can get some press.”

“I’ll think about it,” she choked out and hugged her daughter.

Jess walked in and shut the door. Seeing his mother-in-law and wife hugging each other on ther verge of tears.

He coughed a little, “So I guess the preview copy showed up.”

“Oh get in here you hoodlum,” Lorelai said wiping away her tears.

Rory smiled. This weird little group was her family and she couldn't love them more. 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk why it happened but this chapter took me forever to write. I’ve rewritten it several times and I’m okay-ish with it. So I’m posting it so I can move on because I can’t finish the story or my 3 other WIP if I keep harping on this one section so have at it. I’m almost done with the whole thing so it should be finalized in a few weeks.

 

 

She was going to kill her mother.

Edie was teething keeping both Jess and Rory awake until five in the morning.

“Why did you have to say I was sixteen?” The seven am phone call demanded.

Rory groaned, “You were sixteen.”

“But you didn’t have to say it, you could have made me eighteen or nineteen.”

Rory griped into the phone keeping her eyes shut, “Because that’s a much more respectable age to be unwed and pregnant.”

“Is thirty-two any better?” Lorelai jibed.

“Mom, I’ve had like an hour of sleep. Can we please go over every issue you’ve found with the book later?”

“Ohh no my friend,” Lorelai dragged on, “I have a list and we are going to go through them, all in excruciating depth.”

“Mom I can’t do this right now, can we meet up later?”

“Luke’s at 9.”

“No.”

“Noon?”

“Fine mom, write your complaints.”

Rory hung up without another word.

Jess rolled over and threw his arm over her waist. “One day I’m throwing your phone into traffic,” he mumbled into his pillow.

“Won’t help, her voice carries.”

They fell back to an exhausted sleep.

 

Rory plopped down in a chair next to her mother.

“All right list your complaints.”

“Well for starters….”

People were rushing past the window towards Andrew’s.

“I wonder what happened?”

“Let’s find out.”

They followed the crowd and pushed their way to the front.

“What’s going on?” Lorelai asked.

“I don’t know sugar,” Babette said, “everyone was here so I just followed.”

The doors opened and everyone flowed into the store; no one apparently knowing why they were going in.

Andrew stood on a chair to get some attention.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to welcome you to the exclusive Stars Hollow advanced book signing of Gilmore Girls with our exclusive author Rory Gilmore.”

The room burst into applause and parted for Rory. The end of the store was decorated with posters of her book and her.

Rory flushed from head to toe. “So you people were all in cahoots?”

Lorelai beamed, “They planned all of it for you.”

Rory stood up on the chair Andrew had been using. “Well, thank you all for coming, it would have been nice to know I was going to be doing a book signing but that’s an argument for my book publisher. Yeah, I see you back there.”

Jess ducked behind someone taller to avoid attention.

“I couldn’t have written this book without all of you, and I mean that. I hope you all know I wrote this with love for all of you.”

The room clapped again and Andrew helped her down from the chair.

Rory whispered, “What do we do now?” 

“I have boxes of your book in the back, they all said they wanted you to sign them.”

"Everyone?" 

Andrew nodded. 

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

 

Hours later her hand was cramping and her face hurt from smiling.

Rory hoped everyone would like how they were described because she knew if they didn’t she would definitely know about it.

This town was full of crazy people, but they were her crazy people.


	31. That’s the kid

Enjoying the unusually warm day for February, Lorelai traveled down to the Cornflower Inn and then into town to see her favorite diner owner.

She sat at the counter with a delicious burger while Luke waited on customers.

Michel came into the diner hysterical “My car won’t start.”

“So? Have Jimmy jump it when he gets off of lunch.”

Michel babbled “I have to go to the place and we’re picking up the baby today like now and-”

“Whoa babe, slow down. Look I’m going to call and put Catherine in charge of the desk and I’m going to take you to the-the place. You do know where it is right?”

“Yes, it’s the hospital past Woodbridge.”

“Okay. Calm down. God, you’re worse than a mother who’s having the baby.” Lorelai ushered Michel to her Jeep sitting out front.

 

A few hours later, Caesar called into the storeroom “Hey Luke, wife’s on the phone she sounds upset.”

Luke grabbed the phone.

“Lorelai, what’s the matter?”

“Um. Nothing is the matter but I’m with Michele picking up their baby and… could you just come here?”

“Where are you?”

He was busy but there was something in the way she sounded that scared him.

“The hospital I’ll text you the address.”

 

Lorelai stood staring straight ahead when he arrived.  Luke had never seen her like this. Her face was pale with a haunted look.

“Are you okay?” Luke looked her over and she seemed fine. Mostly.

“I don’t know.” Her voice was hollow.

“Lorelai.” He followed her eyes, which were focused solely on a single baby crying in a crib.

“He-uh. He’s a few hours old. The mother was a sixteen-year-old kid, she-” Lorelai began to shake. 

Luke pulled a chair over for her to sit down and he knelt beside her. She sat but kept staring at the baby.

“What happened?”  He turned her face to his. It seemed to break the trance. 

“Michele’s car wouldn’t start so I brought him. I’m nosy; you know that, so I wanted to watch him and Fredrick meet their baby. She’s darling and they walked off to a room to bond or whatever. I decided to wait because I didn’t know if they could fit the car seat in Fredrick’s car. I went off to find some coffee.”

The words became more difficult.

“So I was walking and I stopped to peek because babies are cute and I saw him. The nurses told me there was a car accident and the father died. The mother was injured and they did a C-section but she- she-”

Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Luke spoke gently, “It’s alright. Skip that part.”

“There were no grandparents, no relatives, and CPS is coming to get him. I just can’t seem to get my feet to move.” 

She cried harder, and Luke pulled her close to him.

“Luke I couldn’t leave him all alone. I know that’s crazy right. I don’t know him, or them, he doesn’t even know I’m here but I couldn’t leave him.”

Through the glass, the baby began to cry.

Luke stood and looked at the little boy. Hooked up to monitors but his little heart beating strongly. Only a few hours old and he’d had his entire world ripped away.

Luke whispered, “That’s the kid.”


	32. Chapter 32

Lorelai walked into her living room still shaky. Rory, Jess, and Edie were waiting for her.

“Mom are you okay?”

“Yeah, it was just a long day. Michel is now a daddy which is weird. I never thought he’d love something like he loved Paw Paw.”

Jess asked walking the floor with Edie, “What was it?”

“A girl, they named her Giselle, so Edie will have a glam friend to hang out with.”

“Where’s Luke?”

“I’m here.” Luke walked in carrying a car seat.

“Oh no, you didn’t kidnap her did you?” Rory joked.

“I can’t talk about the how tonight,” she pulled out her phone and brought up a picture, “but meet your new little brother. Maybe.”

Jess froze, and Rory stopped breathing for a second. Both assuming they’d misheard.

“Mom.”

“Okay, I know it’s insane but he needed us and I’m so exhausted I can explain better tomorrow.”

Rory collected the baby bag, “We need to get Edie home, but breakfast?”

“A late one.”

“With mega coffee,” Rory offered.  

“Oh God yes,” Lorelai groaned in appreciation.

Rory hugged her mother and called out just before she closed the door behind her husband. “I can’t wait till you tell Grandma.”

 

Lorelai fidgeted staring at the door. “I don’t want to do this.”

It had been several weeks since they’d began the adoption process and the baby boy just released from the hospital.

“Don’t you think your mother’s going to notice us dragging a car seat around for the next four years or the small human following us for eighteen?” Luke groused.

“We could say he’s an apprentice diner owner.”

“Lorelai.”

“I know, but you know how this works.She’ll say something snide and then make me feel  bad and then I’ll say something rebellious like I’m fifteen and …” Luke turned the car seat around “oh look at his little face. Hey little Richard,” Lorelai said softly to the tiny face surrounded by a mass of blankets.

“No.”

“Little Ricky, Willy Rick.”

“We’re going to have to figure his name out eventually.”

“Not till he’s in school. It’s not that important until then,” Lorelai assured him.

“Knock,” Luke growled.  

“Fine.”

She knocked.

Luke continued, “Our son might want to be called something for the first five years of his life.”

Lorelai smiled brightly at _our son_.

The maid answered the door and led them to the living room.

Emily greeted them. “Oh, Edie is joining us tonight, how lovely.”

“No,” Lorelai paused to get her bearings, “actually Mom can you sit down we have something to tell you.”

“Oh no, you’re not getting divorced?”

“No, it’s good I promise.”

Lorelai spoke quickly to get it out. “So through a series of very quick surprising events we are adopting this little boy.”

It was a little easier than telling her mother she was pregnant at sixteen, but surprisingly still up there on the difficulty scale.

Luke turned the car seat around.

“What’s his name?”

Both parents spoke at the same time.

Luke said “Richard.”

Lorelai said “William.”

Emily looked between them, “Well which is it?”

“We’re still deciding the order,” Luke said. 

“We can’t decide on William Richard or Richard William or a nickname.”

Emily looked lost in thought.

“William first.” Emily declared. “You can call him Will or Bill.”

 “You always did like that song,” Lorelai smiled. “I thought you’d hate this.”

“There’s a lot of bad lately. Let’s have some good." Emily looked far away before she snapped back to herself. "Now, let me see my Grandson.”


	33. June

Miss Celine picked out a simple but beautiful for Rory who she still insisted was Audrey Hepburn. It amused Jess to no end to be called James Dean.

Lane and Paris were bridesmaids with Matt and Chris as groomsmen.

The wedding was held in the courtyard of the Cornflower with a reception in the town square.

Lorelai walked Rory from the Inn to the runner where she kissed her on the cheek and walked on alone.

Luke on one side and Christopher on the other walked Rory to Jess.

He hadn’t wanted to do the big wedding thing but he knew she did and he owed it to her after all the problems they’d had over the years.

Now he was glad they’d done this.

She was radiant. She was his.

The vows were simple, as this wedding was more to include everyone who’d been excluded before.

When the Reverend said ‘you may now kiss the bride’ Jess had no problems dipping her and kissing her amongst the catcalls and cheers.

 

The reception was a blast.

Paris lovingly threatened Jess if he hurt Rory while the boys offered Rory plenty of photos and embarrassing stories should she ever need them for revenge. Lane read a letter from Finn who couldn't come which declared that he had no hope in this world as the spectacular Rory Gilmore was now off the market but to look him up if that changed. Jess said it didn't bother him because it wouldn't be an issue. 

Rory danced with both of her dad’s and Jess grudgingly danced with Liz. When Lorelai insisted on a dance Jess didn’t refuse.

“I’ll make this quick. You did good kid.”

“No more fuck up?”

“Not from what I see,” Lorelai smiled.

“Thanks.”

“I mean it, she’s happy and you two have been through a hell of a ride to get here. Okay, this is a little touchy feely for me.” She shouted across the floor “Luke trade.”

Luke and Rory danced towards them and Jess shoved his way into Luke’s arms. “I will hit you I don’t care if it’s your wedding.”

“Fine Luke, she’s prettier anyway.” He took Rory’s hand and they mingled with the guests while they were still sober.

Or somewhat sober.

All the alcohol was gone and the owners of The Secret Bar slipped in some extra when Taylor was too distracted by keeping an eye on Gigi. Who had chosen this occasion to debut a short leather mini dress with ripped fishnets mismatched boots, six or seven ponytails, and faded out black lipstick.

As morning approached people passed out or simply fell asleep in the grass.

Jess and Rory walked through the wreckage of their town, hand in hand.

Rory took a look back at everything winding down. “I think we’ve fulfilled our duty I want to get out of these shoes.”

“Ready Audrey?”

“Ready James.”

Jess grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder and headed home.

“My feet hurt but if they didn’t I would be so mad mister.”

“Duly noted.  

When they got home he set her down only to scoop her up and carry her over the threshold.

“We’ve done this before,” Rory laughed at him.

“I couldn’t do this last time.”

“You are the sweetest man.” She kissed him.

“Don’t let it get around.”

“Jess, I think your rep is completely ruined. Wife, daughter, respectable job, I do think you are turning into quite an upstanding citizen.”

“If the title comes with the two of you, I think I can live with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gigi’s outfit is inspired by the outfit my brother’s longtime girlfriend wore to meet the family, it left quite the impression. 
> 
> This is also pretty close to the version I had ready to post that somehow disappeared and I can’t recover it.


	34. Progression

In the years that followed they had formed into a large family. Their house was full of books and happy memories.

Pictures of Edie and her parents, snapshots with her uncle Billy, and her grandparents lined the mantle.

Terrible drawings she and her best friend Gisselle Gerard created covered the refrigerator.

Truncheon opened a new office in Heartford which Jesse ran.

Rory and Jess worked on their own writing projects when they felt like it.

Edie was surely a daddy’s girl but loved crawling into her mother’s lap for her to read to her.

 

Rory and Edie were spending the day at the park.

A figure stood off to the side watching.

Rory didn’t really notice it at first but when their eyes connected briefly she was terrified.

“Hey, baby stay here with Mr. Frederick.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Rory walked to the figure as casually as she could her heart pounding out of control.

“You should not be here,” she folded her arms over her chest.

“I just want to see her.”

She knew in her heart he would do this. She’d heard about his divorce the month before.

“You signed her away Logan.”

“I know.” He sounded sad but Rory couldn’t trust this.

“Please don’t do this to me. We’re good my life is actually where I want it for the first time in years.”

“I just want to see her. Please.”

“Five minutes.”

Rory went back to the girls and carried Edie with her.

“Edie this is an old friend of Mommy’s, his name is Logan.” She had her shy moments and when she did she would scowl just like Jess instead of hiding away. Her blue eyes shining on the pale face surrounded by dark brown curls, her chubby face looked exactly like her mother’s at the same age.

“She looks like the two of you. Hi Edie, I’m Logan. You’re a very pretty girl.”

She scowled and held tighter to Rory’s neck.

“It’s all right Edie, Logan isn’t going to do anything to hurt you. Right?”

“Right?” She said a touch aggressively.

“Of course not, I just wanted to meet you.”

“Hi,” Edie finally said.

“Hi.”

“Can I go back with Giselle?”

“Sure you run right there. I’m watching.”

The little girl ran off to be with her friend.

“Anyway, I just wanted to see that you were good.”

“Logan I am begging you please don’t do anything.”

“I’m only going to do this. I apologize. I handled things badly, obviously. I think we still would have ended up here but maybe if I had just talked to you then you wouldn’t look like that now.”

“Like what?”

Like you’re completely terrified. Like you hate me. I don’t blame you, but I swear I’m not going to do anything. I don’t know what you’re going to tell her about all this, but if you tell her about me and she wants to meet me or has questions let me know.”

Rory watched him leave. She tried to hold herself together until Edie was ready to go home.

The entire day was miserable waiting for Jess to come home. She knew he was going to be late that night, but each minute lasted an eternity. Finally, she put Edie to bed and fidgeted the rest of the evening. She started stress eating, starting with the cookies, then running out of junk switched to apples. And she hated apples.

Jess slipped in quietly, because Rory was sleeping, or so he thought. The second he was in the door Rory threw her arms around his neck.

“Well, hello to you too.”

“I had a really bad day,” she half sobbed into his chest.

“Let me take care of this quick and we’ll talk.” Jess slipped into Edie’s room, Rory listened by the door. “Hey bookworm,” Jess whispered.

“Daddy” the little girl mumbled sleepily.

“Just letting you know I’m home safe and kiss you goodnight.”

“Good,” she said matter of factly.

He tucked her in and she fell back to sleep immediately.

Rory walked away. When he found her she was sitting in their room crying.

“What happened?”

“Logan showed up today, he said he just wanted to see her, but I don’t know.”

“Rory it’s fine. He can’t do anything. What exactly did he say?”

She told him their conversation when she had finished her tears had stopped.

“Rory the worst thing he can do is tell people he’s her biological dad.” He knelt beside the bed and lifted her face up, “That’s what the adoption was for. Do you think Emily Gilmore’s lawyer would dare miss something?”

She thought it over and slid her arms around his neck. “This is why I need you; you make my crazy go away.”

“Your crazy lives five blocks away.” He held her but she didn’t relax. “It’s going to be fine. We can call the lawyers in the morning if you want but there’s nothing he can do now, it’s been years.”

“You sure?”

“I won’t let anything happen.”

“We might have to tell her one day.” That thought terrified her more than anything if they told her how would she react. How do you tell your kid their dad isn’t their dad and everything you thought wasn’t true?

“We might, or not. Don’t worry about that right now. Just go to sleep.”

“I love you,” she finally said gratefully.

“I Love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter I think.


	35. Sometimes it Rhymes

Today was their day to watch the hoard of kids while the parents ran errands. They stood in the town square watching Billy chase Kirk and Petal around.

Dean’s daughter played with Giselle and Edie doing something only the three of them understood.

His boys followed Steve and Quan around like they were Gods.

“Is Lulu picking up Kirk or can we trust him to walk home by himself?”

“We can let him go but we should call Lulu and let her know he’s on the way.”

As lunch time came around the children were collected and play dates were promised.

“You two want to have lunch?” Lorelai asked when she picked up Billy.

“Sure can you take Edie? We’ll be a moment.” They sat on the steps of the gazebo.

“Well, Mrs. Mariano another successful morning of managing the little monsters.”

“Indubitably, Mr. Mariano.”

The hot air was pleasant still on a cool for this time of year day. The wind picked up and they enjoyed the silence for a few minutes.

They stood to go to Lukes.

“Hey, Jess.”

“Yeah?” He wasn’t really focusing on her.

“I’m pregnant,” Rory smiled sheepishly.

He stared at her and froze.

“You’re not.”

“Pretty sure I am.”

Jess only stared at her.

“Not the reaction she was hoping for.”

His lips crashed against her he picked her up and spun her around.

“Now that’s more like it,” she teased.

“I love you.” His smile was stretching across his face.

“I love you too,” she wrapped her arms around his waist as they stood together.

Lorelai shouted at them from the diner. “Hey hoodlums, your kid wants her daddy.”

They started for the diner.

“She doesn’t know so keep it zipped.”

“You told me before Lorelai?”

“Well, you helped, I thought it fair.” She smiled.

As they reached the door she stopped him.

“Do you feel different because this one’s yours?”

Jess glanced at Edie sitting at the table with a little book trying to read it and stealing French fries from her grandma’s plate.

He looked back at Rory and smiled. “No, because she was always mine.”

 

The end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read this and continued to read this after I had awful writer’s block. I’ve received so many nice comments on this work and I really appreciate them. Thank you for letting me share my story with you.   
>  There will shortly be a MUCH smaller sequel called Dodger.


End file.
